The police officer who knelt on the neck of George Floyd for almost 9 minutes, killing him, has been found guilty on all charges after a trial in Minneapolis, the city in the murder took place.
46-year-old former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty by unanimous verdict by a jury of 12 of his peers on counts of second-degree murder, unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
Chauvin now faces a potential 75 years behind bars. The minimum sentence for second-degree unintentional murder is 12.5 years and carries a maximum sentence of 40 years. However, if the convictions were to run consecutively, then he could face 75 years in prison in total.
During the trial, the jury heard accounts from 45 witnesses, ranging from bystanders, to police-officers, to medical experts and they saw extensive footage of the murder taking place. Chauvin's defence had argued that Floyd died from a mixture of drug intoxication with drug fentanyl, a powerful opiate, and due to his underlying health conditions.
Chauvin's defence also argued that the actions of bystanders and Floyd struggling had resulted in a situation in which Chauvin's actions were warranted. Many bystanders had begun heckling and shouting at Chauvin.
The jury did not however believe this version of events and were convinced that it was Chauvin kneeling on Floy's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds that resulted in his passing.
Three other police officers now also face trial for their involvement in the incident.
Prosecutor Steve Schleicher said during the trial:
"Believe your eyes. What you saw, you saw. This wasn't policing, this was murder!"
Prior to the conviction, Floyd's brother Terrence Floyd said:
"We are [a] God-fearing family, we [are] church people. So, therefore, I'm just going to end it on this – we're asking the system for the justice."
While he later added:
"But today I won't get that time to sleep, because I'm going to stay up and I'm going to celebrate, because this is a day of celebration. I'm happy, man."
The killing of George Floyd sparked the worst civil strife the United States had seen since the late 1960s, with millions of people taking part in protests, some of which descended into riots.
[h/t: I heart Intelligence]
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