Derek Chauvin Convicted On All Counts For The Murder of George Floyd
By: Kayla Pasacreta
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday on all counts in the murder of George Floyd. The verdict announcement was delivered just 10 hours after deliberations started. Derek Chauvin showed little reaction as he was handcuffed and headed to the correctional facility where he will stay for 8 weeks as he awaits his sentencing.
In his closing argument, prosecutor Steve Schleicher urged jurors to focus on the video showing Chauvin kneeling with his foot on Floyd’s neck, "Believe your eyes," Schleicher said.
Judge Peter Cahill read the verdict at the Hennepin County Government Center, the location of the three-week trial. The outside crowd immediately erupted in cheers, with the verdict prompting victorious gatherings across downtown Minneapolis.
In the moments following the verdict announcement, Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, spoke out at a news conference alongside attorney Ben Crump, “A lot of days I prayed and I hoped and I was speaking everything into existence. I said, 'I have faith that he will be convicted.,” adding that he feels that he “can breathe again”.
Philonise Floyd, Ben Crump, Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson pictured. Photo via AP
Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The second-degree murder charge carries a maximum of 40 years, the third-degree murder charge carries a maximum of 25 years, and the second-degree manslaughter charge carries a maximum of 10 years.
Ben Crump referred to the verdict as accountability, rather than justice.
After the family press conferences, President Biden and Vice-President Harris called the Floyd family and later addressed the nation.
During their remarks to the nation, President Biden and Vice-President Harris echoed their calls for reform in their phone call to the Floyd family. President Biden said the verdict “can be a moment of significant change" and urged Americans to confront the issues raised by Floyd's murder. "I can't breathe.' We can't let those words die with him. We must not turn away, we can't turn away," he said.
Vice-President Harris said the verdict "will not heal the pain that existed for generations" and stated that racism “is not just a Black America problem or a people of color problem. It is a problem for every American.”
A new mugshot of Derek Chauvin, who is being held at Oak Parks Correctional Facility in Minnesota, was released Wednesday morning.
