MINNEAPOLIS (NewsNation Now) — Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd, will be sentenced in June.
Chauvin will be sentenced on June 16 at 1:30 p.m., by Peter Cahill, the Hennepin County judge who oversaw the trial, according to online court records.
A Minnesota jury on Tuesday found Chauvin, 45, guilty on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin, who is white, is currently in Minnesota’s only maximum-security prison, held in a single cell for his own safety.
Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was declared dead after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against his neck for about nine minutes on May 25. Floyd was arrested on suspicion of using a fake $20 bill to buy cigarettes at a convenience store. His death sparked protests and civil unrest in Minneapolis and across the U.S. over police brutality, at points turning violent.
Even though he was found guilty of three counts, under Minnesota statutes, he’ll only be sentenced on the most serious one — second-degree murder. While that count carries a maximum sentence of 40 years, experts say he won’t get that much. They say that for all practical purposes, the maximum he would face is 30 years, and he could get less.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
