Source: Bloomberg / Getty
The jury found former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd last May.
Chauvin, 45, was found guilty of second-and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Judge Peter Cahill asked each juror if the verdict was correct and thanked them for service over the past month. He revoked bail for Chauvin and immediately had him taken into custody.
The jurors in the case, seven women and five men, took less than 24 hours to reach
a decision after hearing three weeks of testimony. Chauvin invoked his Fifth Amendment right and rejected a chance to take the stand in the trial.
Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes as he was handcuffed and lying on the ground motionless. A dramatic moment caught on camera outside a Minneapolis convenience store that led to civil unrest across the county last summer. Police responded to a report that Floyd used a counterfeit $20 bill.
Prosecutors argued that Chauvin’s actions caused Floyd to die from a “lack of oxygen, or asphyxia.” However, the defense tried to paint Floyd as a “drug addict” with a pre-existing heart condition who died while under stress in police custody.
About 2,000 National Guard members are standing by in downtown Minneapolis expecting potential riots after the verdict’s announcement. Minneapolis schools started canceling in-person classes earlier this week in anticipation of the potentially volatile situation.
Chauvin faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. He waived his right to have the jury decide his sentence and Judge Cahill asked for a hearing to be set in eight weeks.
