Murder of George Floyd: the ex-policeman sentenced to 21 years in prison by federal justice

Published on: 07/07/2022 – 23:15 After a plea agreement, the former white police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced Thursday by the American federal justice to 21 years in prison for “violation of civil rights” of George Floyd, the black forties he had suffocated under his knee in 2020. White policeman Derek Chauvin was sentenced Thursday, July 7 to 21 years in prison by the federal justice of the United States for having asphyxiated the African-American George Floyd with his knee. The 46-year-old former agent had previously been sentenced for murder to 22 and a half years in prison by the Minnesota state court, but he appealed the sentence. The federal sentence for “violation of civil rights” of the black forty-something, is, for its part, final since it stems from an agreement to plead guilty. It can be served at the same time as the other sentence, said Judge Paul Magnuson of the Saint-Paul court, giving him credit for the seven months already spent in detention. “I don’t know why you did that, but placing your knee on someone’s neck until they die is wrong. And for that, you must be severely punished, “explained the magistrate. Neither apologies nor remorseDuring a short intervention, Derek Chauvin wished the children of George Floyd “success in life”, without apologizing or expressing the slightest remorse. His mother Carolyn Pawlenty assured that he was not a heartless racist, before adding “all the lives matter, regardless of their skin color”, hijacking the slogan Black Lives Matter (black lives matter). Called to the bar, the deceased’s brother, Philonise Floyd, demanded “the maximum sentence” against Derek Chauvin, saying he hasn’t slept since the tragedy. On May 25, 2020, this seasoned Minneapolis police officer had remained kneeling on the African-American’s neck for almost ten minutes, indifferent to the interventions of panicked passers-by and the groans of George Floyd. The scene, filmed and posted online, sparked huge protests against racism and police brutality across the United States and beyond. in the spring of 2021, his lawyer had pleaded that George Floyd had died of an overdose, combined with health problems, and had assured that Derek Chauvin had made a justified use of force. He had not convinced the jurors and the former police officer had been found guilty of murder and sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison. He appealed against this verdict. At the same time, federal justice had opened its own proceedings by indicting him, as well as his three former colleagues, for “violation of the constitutional rights” of George Floyd, more particularly “the right not to being the victim of unreasonable use of force by a police officer”. United States. In the federal case, he had initially pleaded not guilty, before changing his strategy in December 2021, admitting for the first time a share of responsibility. In his plea of ​​guilt, he had admitted to having abused the force, “knowing it was wrong”, and “without legal justification”. He had also admitted wrongdoing in the violence inflicted on a 14-year-old black teenager in 2017, whom he had kept on the ground under his knee for a quarter of an hour. In exchange for his acknowledgment of wrongdoing, it was agreed that Derek Chauvin is serving his sentence in federal prison rather than the state’s high-security prison, where he is currently being held in solitary confinement to protect him from other prisoners. With AFP