During the sentencing, US District Judge Paul Magnuson said Chauvin “must be held accountable” for his actions, including destroying the lives of the other three officers involved in Floyd’s death. “I really don’t know why you did what you did,” the judge said. “Putting your knee on a person’s throat until they expire is just wrong. … Your behavior is wrong and offensive.” Chauvin’s plea deal, which Magnuson accepted in May, called for a sentence of 20 to 25 years in prison. Magnuson shaved seven months off his 21-year sentence for time already served — last year, Chauvin was convicted in state court on murder and manslaughter charges related to Floyd’s death in May 2020 and sentenced to 22 ½ years. He will serve the state and federal sentences concurrently in federal prison. Chauvin, who is White, killed Floyd by pinning the unarmed Black man to the pavement with his knee for 9 1/2 minutes, despite Floyd’s faint pleas of “I can’t breathe.” Floyd’s death sparked protests around the world and forced a national reckoning on police brutality and racism. Before his sentencing Thursday, Chauvin wished Floyd’s children “the best in their lives” and that they have “great guidance to become good adults,” reports CBS Minnesota. He didn’t apologize. Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, asked the judge for a life sentence, adding that he has had nightmares since his brother’s death, according to CBS Minnesota. Prosecutors pushed for the former police officer to serve all 25 years on the grounds that his actions in Floyd’s death were cold-blooded and unnecessary. They also argued he had a history of abusing restraints — Chauvin’s plea included admitting he violated the rights of a then-14-year-old black boy he banned in an unrelated case in 2017. Instead, the defense asked for 20 years, saying Chauvin accepts responsibility for what he did and has already been sentenced to 22 ½ years in state prison for Floyd’s murder. Attorney Eric Nelson wrote that Chauvin’s remorse “will be evident in this Court.” In pleading guilty to violating Floyd’s civil rights, Chauvin admitted for the first time that he held his knee to Floyd’s neck — even after he became unresponsive — resulting in his death. The former officer admitted that he willfully deprived Floyd of his right to be free from unreasonable seizure, including unreasonable force by an officer. Chauvin is appealing his murder conviction, arguing that jurors were intimidated by the protests that followed and prejudiced by extensive pre-trial publicity. Three other former Minneapolis police officers — Tou Thao, J. Alexander Keung and Thomas Lane — were convicted in February of federal civil rights charges in Floyd’s killing. Magnuson has not set sentencing dates for them. Lane is also scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 21 after pleading guilty in state court to being an accessory to second-degree murder. Thao and Kueng rejected plea deals and are scheduled to go on trial in state court on Oct. 24 on conspiracy charges.
