Former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, convicted in April on three charges related to the murder of 46- year-old black man George Floyd, has been sentenced to 22.5 years in prison, minus time served. Pushing for the harshest possible sentence on Friday afternoon, prosecutor Matthew Frank told the Minneapolis court that this was “not the typical second degree unintentional murder.” Chauvin's attorney Eric Nelson urged that justice should not be served according to “public opinion.” In accordance with Minnesota law, Chauvin was sentenced only on the most serious of his crimes, rather than on all three related to the same incident. Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill acknowledged the suffering felt not only by Floyd himself, but on the families of both men and the wider Hennepin County. He insisted he did not base his sentence on public opinion, sympathy, or the ongoing eruptions of protesters in an attempt to send any “message.” The court heard victim impact statements from members of Floyd's family, including his brother Terrence Floyd who addressed Chauvin directly, asking: “What was going through your head when you had your knee on my brother’s neck?” Floyd's seven-year-old daughter Gianna appeared by video. The court also heard from Chauvin's mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, who said it was difficult for her to hear and read how the media, public and prosecution had portrayed her son. She described him as a “good man,” saying he had dedicated his life to the police department and urged a lighter sentence. Chauvin stood to offer “ condolences” to the Floyd family, but, citing other legal matters, did not make a full statement. The sentencing comes just two months after a jury declared him guilty of second-degree murder, third- degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter – all three charges stemming from the infamous encounter in which Chauvin knelt with his knee on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, horrifying onlookers. Chauvin has remained in a maximum security prison since his conviction.

not enough... that isnt justice