Chauvin Guilty on All Charges in George Floyd's Killing
The former Minneapolis Police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, eventually leading to his death, was found guilty on Tuesday of all three charges against him. Floyd’s murder sparked a summer of unrest and a call for change in a criminal justice system that repetitively fails to convict police officers in the case of death in custody. For many, the verdict of Chauvin’s trial marks a step toward reform.
After one day of intense deliberations, the jury found Chauvin guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. For many Black Americans, the verdict inspires feelings of relief but also worries that this is just an aberration. “I hope it will change some things. I’m praying it’s a stepping stone,” said Christin Hickman, a 35-year-old from Minneapolis, according to the Wall Street Journal. “But it didn’t change with Emmett Till. It didn’t change with Rodney King. So, you know, I’m not holding my breath.”
The three other former officers charged in the case will go on trial at the end of the year. A federal civil rights probe of Floyd’s death continues to investigate whether the Minneapolis Police Department engages in repeated behavior of unconstitutional policing.
Prosecutor Steve Schleicher asked jurors to focus on the video displaying Chauvin pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes. "Believe your eyes," Schleicher said. "Unreasonable force, pinning him to the ground — that's what killed him. This was a homicide."
Judge Peter Cahill released the verdict at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, where the trial began one month ago. Peaceful protestors cheered from outside, and Chauvin had no apparent reaction to his guilty verdict. Afterward, his bail was revoked, and he was removed from the courthouse in handcuffs. Chauvin was taken to a facility in Stillwater, Minnesota, 25 miles from downtown Minneapolis. Cahill said sentencing would take place in eight weeks.
In Minnesota, second-degree murder sentences a person for a maximum of 40 years in prison. Third-degree murder carries a maximum of 25 years in prison. Second-degree manslaughter is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. For Chauvin, prosecutors determined multiple “aggravating” factors that will result in additional time to Chauvin’s sentence; factors include committing a crime in front of a child. The youngest bystander who witnessed Floyd’s fatal arrest was only nine years old and used police force to commit a crime.
The verdict comes after 11 months of the video taken on May 25, 2020, showing Chauvin aggressively kneeling on the back and neck of Floyd, handcuffed, and lying on the street for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. Under the ex-officer, the 46-year-old Black man fought for air, repeatedly saying, “I can’t breathe” until his death. His final moments depicted the apparent mistreatment and systematic discourse in the criminal justice system that dehumanizes Black people, and it set off mass protests across the country demanding change.
The defense called seven witnesses, excluding Chauvin, as he invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify. Defense attorney Eric Nelson argued Chauvin’s use of police force was reasonable, distracted by enraged bystanders that Floyd died from other causes.
After the court trial, Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s younger brother, was seen hugging all four prosecutors, crying, "I was just praying they would find him guilty," he said. "As an African American, we usually never get justice."
On Wednesday, President Murray sent an email acknowledging the trial results being a step toward long-needed reform in the United States. He expressed urgency in holding individuals accountable for criminal behavior and their contribution to the system that disproportionally results in the deaths of Black Americans. President Murray invited Marist students to the virtual.
Race and Justice Town Hall will offer students the space to share thoughts and feelings about
the case. Associate Professor of Criminal Justice organized the discussion which will be facilitated by co-moderators Marisa Moore, Interim Director of the Counseling Center, and Christina Wright Fields, Assistant Professor of Education.
"George Floyd" by chaddavis.photography is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0