Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Derek Chauvin to 22 ½ years in jail on Friday. Chauvin, the Minneapolis cop who killed George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nine minutes in a brutal 2020 arrest, was convicted of his murder in April.
Hours before the sentencing, Cahill denied a motion from Chauvin's lawyers for a new trial. Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year sentence; the defense asked for probation and a "downward departure" from sentencing guidlines that mandate jail time.
Statements were read by members of Floyd's family, Chauvin's mother, and Chauvin himself, who offered his condolences to Floyd's family while promising "there's gonna be some other information in the future that's going to be of interest."
