Derek Chauvin Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison

Derek Chauvin, the Minnesota ex-cop who murdered George Floyd on May 25, 2020, has been sentenced to 245 months, or a little over 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in December of 2021. He admitted to violating Floyd’s civil rights by kneeling on the young black man’s neck for nine and a half minutes while repeating he couldn’t breathe. This resulted in Floyd’s death.

Chauvin was originally sentenced to 22.5 years, or 270 months in a state prison, but with his plea deal, he has been transferred to Minnesota’s maximum security federal prison and will stay there for the next 21 years. He will be subjected to solitary confinement for a couple years in a 10-by-10 foot room. After that, Chauvin will have cell-mates for the remainder of his sentence.

At the sentencing hearing, Chauvin offered his “condolences” to the Floyd family for their loss, but did not apologize. His charges include one count of second- and third-degree murder and one count of second-degree manslaughter.

The three other former officers - J. Alexander Keung, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao - have all pleaded guilty to violating George Floyd’s civil rights and will be serving their own time for their involvement in the murder.