Derek Chauvin's Sentencing: Here's How To Watch
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is set to be sentenced Friday afternoon for the murder of George Floyd.
According to Hennepin County court records, the sentencing hearing for Chauvin is slated for 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Hennepin County Government Center. The hearing will be live-streamed.
HOW TO WATCH & FOLLOW: Special live coverage of court proceedings, including Chauvin's 1:30 p.m. sentencing, will be on-air and streamed on CBSN Minnesota. You can also check for updates on WCCO.com and by following our social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter.
In April, Chauvin, 45, was convicted of second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death. It took the jury roughly 10 hours of deliberation to reach their verdict.
Chauvin showed no reaction as the judge read all three unanimous verdicts. He was quickly handcuffed and taken out of the courtroom. He spent his first days of conviction in the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Oak Park Heights.
WHAT KIND OF SENTENCE IS EXPECTED?
Judge Peter Cahill will be sentencing Chauvin. Earlier, Cahill ruled Chauvin may face a longer prison sentence because prosecutors proved certain aggravated factors "beyond a reasonable doubt," including the former officer's cruelty in his treatment of Floyd, and that his deadly restraint of the victim was carried out in front of children.
Sentencing guidelines call for Chauvin, who has no prior criminal history, to face a minimum of 12.5 years in prison on the most serious charge of second-degree murder, but aggravated factors have the potential of increasing his sentence to up to 40 years.
Prosecutors are requesting a 30-year sentence.
The defense is asking for probation. The defense also filed motions for a new trial and a Schwartz hearing to look into jury misconduct, but the judge denied those motions early Friday morning.
Chauvin also faces federal civil rights charges in Floyd's death. Three other former officers also face state and federal charges.
Floyd, who was 46 years old, died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is white, pinned him to the ground with a knee on his neck as the Black man repeatedly said he couldn't breathe.
Three other former officers -- Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao -- were also involved in the arrest. Kueng and Lane helped to restrain Floyd — Kueng knelt on Floyd's back and Lane held down Floyd's legs. Thao held back bystanders and kept them from intervening during the roughly 9 1/2-minute restraint.
A video of Floyd's murder went viral online and sparked mass protests and rioting in Minnesota and worldwide. It also prompted a national conversation on systemic racism and police brutality.
The Minneapolis Police Department has made many policy changes since the incident, including use of force. Part of that new policy requires that officers use the lowest level of force to safely engage a subject, and that officers must consider all reasonable alternatives before using deadly force.
The state trial for Lane, Kueng and Thao is scheduled for March 7, 2022. Jury selection will start the following day, with opening statements set for March 28.
