Second-degree murder. Third-degree murder. Second-degree manslaughter.
After a year of national protests, social activism, and a push for action, the crowd’s call for justice was delivered today at long last. Derek Michael Chauvin, the former police officer who was recorded pushing his knee on George Floyd’s neck, was found guilty on all three charges this afternoon.
Judge Peter Cahill confirmed the jury’s verdict and announced that he will be scheduling sentencing in 8 weeks time. He thanked the members of the jury for their “heavy-duty” service throughout the trial.
“I have to thank you on behalf of the people of the state of Minnesota for not doing jury service, but heavy-duty jury service,” he said.
The women-majority jury active in Chauvin’s trial consisted of five men and seven women. Six of the 12 jurors are White, four are Black, while two are multiracial. Within the third week of reviewing the defense and heartfelt testimonies, the panel concluded their deliberations on Tuesday shortly after 3 PM.
Minneapolis released Chauvin from his duties in the Justice Department just days after Floyd’s death. The fired officer then agreed to plead guilty for third-degree murder — a rejected deal Attorney General William Barr found to be too lenient. An appeals court ruled that a lower court was wrong in dismissing the murder charge, paving way for the Minnesota attorney general’s office to have it reinstated back in March of this year.
“The charge of 3rd-degree murder, in addition to manslaughter and felony murder, reflects the gravity of the allegations against Mr. Chauvin. We look forward to presenting all three charges to the jury,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced for the 2020 State of Minnesota vs. Derek Chauvin trial.
Summarizing their findings and evidence on Monday, persecutors ended with a call for “common sense.” They argued that the cause of death was positional asphyxiation from sustained pressure. The defense, however, claimed that the death was a multifactorial process led by a long history of drug usage and heart conditions.
“Believe your eyes,” said Prosecutor Steve Schleicher, the first to deliver a statement. “Unreasonable force, pinning him to the ground — that’s what killed him. This was a homicide,” he continued.
On May 25th, 2020, a White police officer had handcuffed and pinned an unarmed Black man to the ground. Three other officers — J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao — assisted Chauvin with holding Floyd down, while bystanders strongly prompted them to release him. Even after Floyd had stopped breathing, the officers on duty remained indifferent and failed to provide medical aid.
This incident sparked outrage that eventually instigated massive, nationwide protests calling for action against police brutality and racial injustice. Floyd’s murder is just one of the many cases driving the Black Lives Matter Movement. Demonstrators became a voice for all the innocent African Americans that have been victimized by law enforcement over the years.
Prosecutors urged the panel to focus on the 9 minutes and 29 seconds to which Chauvin had been kneeling on Floyd’s neck.
The prosecution called 38 witnesses to testify and displayed dozens of clips from the incident over the weeks. Among those eyewitnesses, Darnella Frazier, a bystander that captured cellphone video footage detailing earlier parts of the encounter between Floyd and Chauvin. Her recording became a wide source for reference in the media, across the nation — and during the trial.
“When I look at George Floyd, I look at my dad, I look at my brothers, I look at my cousins, my uncles,” Frazier said in an emotional testimony.
Upon news of the jury’s final verdict, she expressed her relief today on FaceBook: “THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU… George Floyd we did it!!…justice has been served.”
As a first-time offender with no criminal background, Chauvin faces a regulatory 150 months in prison; yet, the prosecution encourages a higher prison term that could range from 40 to 75 years based on the maximum charge offered with each offense.
Not everyone is off the hook as of yet. Another trial will commence for the three other officers who were involved in aiding and abetting murder, and as well man-slaughter, this upcoming August.
