MINNEAPOLIS: A Minnesota judge sentenced former police officer Derek Chauvin to 22 years and six months in prison on Friday for the murder of George Floyd during an arrest in May last year on a Minneapolis sidewalk, video of which sparked global protests.

A jury found Chauvin, 45, guilty on April 20 of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter after a trial that was widely seen as a landmark in the history of US policing.

Before the sentence was handed down, Floyd’s brothers told the court of their anguish, Chauvin’s mother insisted on her son’s innocence, and Chauvin himself briefly offered condolences to the Floyd family.

Hennepin county district judge Peter Cahill said it was important to recognise the pain of the Floyd family and acknowledged the global notoriety of the case only to say it would not sway him.

“I’m not going to attempt to be profound or clever because it’s not the appropriate time,” Cahill said, explaining his reasoning would be laid out in a 22-page memorandum. “I’m not basing my sentence on public opinion. I’m not basing it on the attempt to send any messages. The job of a trial court judge is to apply the law to specific facts and to deal with individual cases.”

The hearing began with prosecutors asking several members of Floyd’s family to address the court. Floyd’s seven-year-old daughter Gianna was first, appearing in a video recording.

“I ask about him all the time,” she said in the video as Chauvin sat before the judge dressed in a gray suit and tie, a blue mask covering his nose and mouth. “My daddy always used to help me brush my teeth.”

Asked what she would say to him if she could see him again, she said: “It would be I miss you and I love you.” Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year prison sentence, double the upper limit indicated in sentencing guidelines for a first-time offender. Cahill ruled earlier this month that prosecutors have established grounds for giving Chauvin a harsher sentence.

The defence had asked for probation and had unsuccessfully sought a retrial ahead of an expected appeal.

Video of Chauvin, who is white, kneeling on the neck of Floyd, a 46-year-old black man in handcuffs, for more than nine minutes on May 25 last year caused outrage around the world and the largest protest movement seen in the United States in decades.

Floyd’s brother Terrence Floyd addressed Chauvin directly during his victim impact statement on Friday.

Haunted by video

Philonise Floyd, another brother, said he was haunted by the videos of Floyd’s death, which were replayed countless times at Chauvin’s trial.

Chauvin addressed the judge, saying he could not give a full statement due to “additional legal matters”.

“But very briefly though, I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family,” he said. “There’s going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind. Thank you.”

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2021