Derek Chauvin found guilty of George Floyd’s murder

Jury finds ex-Minneapolis police officer guilty on all counts

Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder for killing George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes, a crime that prompted waves of protests in support of racial justice in the US and across the world.

The jury swiftly and unanimously convicted Chauvin of all the charges he faced – second- and third-degree murder, and manslaughter – after concluding that the white former Minneapolis police officer killed the 46-year-old Black man in May through a criminal assault, by pinning him to the ground so he could not breathe.

Huge cheers immediately went up among a crowd of several hundred people outside the heavily fortified courthouse with people chanting “All three counts” and “Whose victory? Our victory!”

“Don’t let anyone tell you protest doesn’t work,” a man told the crowd through a bullhorn.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... orge-floyd

This is going to be appealed all the way to SCOTUS and will drag on for years, thanks to Rep. Maxine Waters.

Here's some indication of sentence. It appears possible that he could get just 12.5 years for the second degree murder conviction. I don't think the public will take that very well.

Here are the three charges Derek Chauvin was found guilty on and the maximum sentences for each :

Second Degree Murder: 40 years in prison
Third Degree Murder: 25 years in prison
Second Degree Manslaughter: 10 years in prison
What happens next with sentencing? Who makes the final call?

Since the verdict has been read by Judge Cahill, it will now head to sentencing. Prosecutors with the state are asking for a longer sentence, known as an "upward sentencing departure" due to "aggravating factors".

Those factors include :

Floyd was handcuffed and particularly vulnerable
Floyd was treated with particular cruelty
Derek Chauvin abused his authority
Derek Chauvin committed a crime in a group and in front of children

Minnesota uses sentencing guidelines, which means that for someone with no prior convictions like Chauvin, the recommendation is only 12.5 years for each murder charge, as well as four years for manslaughter.

Even though Chauvin is convicted of more than one count, according to Minnesota law, he only serves a sentence for the most severe charge. If Judge Cahill follows the Minnesota state guidelines, Chauvin would serve just that 12.5-year sentence.

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/veri ... 4dcac19f38

Finally. It was time to demilitarize the police.

What was the proof that the knee killed him? I didn’t watch the trial so just curious.

TheImplication wrote: ↑Wed Apr 21, 2021 9:08 am What was the proof that the knee killed him? I didn’t watch the trial so just curious.

These seem to be pivotal.

Powerful words from a doctor
Dr Martin Tobin gripped the jury with his clear explanation of complex medical issues as he described how Floyd was killed by a lack of oxygen because a knee was pressed into his neck while he was held facedown in handcuffs.

Amid a handful of medical specialists for the prosecution, Tobin stood out because as a pulmonologist he was able to describe in detail why Floyd struggled to breathe as he was held down. He described the pressure pinning the detained man to the road as having the same effect as “if a surgeon had gone in and removed the lung”.

The doctor identified the moment Floyd suffered brain damage and the time that he stopped breathing.

Tobin was unwavering in his assertion that Chauvin’s actions were the sole cause of Floyd’s death.

Plus...

A

police chief testifies
The Minneapolis police chief, Medaria Arradondo, took the highly unusual step of testifying against one of his own men as he told the trial that there was no justification for Chauvin to pin Floyd to the ground using his knee.

“To continue to apply that level of force to a person proned-out, handcuffed behind their back, that in no way, shape or form is anything that is by policy,” he said.

Some saw Arradondo’s testimony as evidence of a breach in the “blue wall of silence” in which police officers have refused to testify against each other. Others saw the police chief as defending his department from the defense position that Chauvin was only following his training and if that was a problem then the fault lay with the Minneapolis police.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... orge-floyd

newkidontheblock wrote: ↑Wed Apr 21, 2021 9:07 am

Apollo91881 wrote:Finally. It was time to demilitarize the police.

How does a bad police officer putting a knee on someone’s neck until dead equate with militarization?

Does the military teach their MPs to put necks on suspects until their are dead?

Or is it just a rogue cop that finally got caught being a bad cop?

More than 1 bad cop or you wouldn't have a BLM movement.
The US has been transitioning military gear to police departments across the US for some time.
As a result the US is more postured for enforcement than prevention.
If we focussed on communities and their development we could avoid some of this carnage.

We need more Officer Friendly and less Robocop.