MINNEAPOLIS — Jurors on Tuesday found former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the May 2020 death of George Floyd, 46.
The 12-member panel deliberated for about four hours on Monday and at least five hours on Tuesday following three weeks of testimony from witnesses, experts and Floyd’s loved ones.
>> Related: Nation prepares for Derek Chauvin verdict aftermath
Chauvin, 45, was charged after video of him kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes went viral last year, sparking protests against racial inequality and police brutality nationwide.
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Update 9:01 p.m. EDT April 20: Derek Chauvin was transferred to the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights, according to Minnesota Department of Corrections spokesperson Sarah Fitzgerald. Chauvin arrived at the facility at 4:55 p.m. CDT, Fitzgerald told CNN. The prison is located in Stillwater, Minnesota, about 25 miles east of downtown Minneapolis.
Update 5:50 p.m. ET April 20: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called for “enduring, systemic, societal change” in the wake of Tuesday’s guilty verdict for former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin.
“This verdict reminds us to never give up the hope of enduring change,” he said, adding that it should be an “inflection point.”
“We don’t want any more community members dying at the hands of law enforcement,” he said. “This has to end. We need true justice. That’s not one case. That is a social transformation that says no one is beneath the law and no one is above it.”
Update 5:40 p.m. ET April 20: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison thanked the community for giving authorities time to investigate and prosecute Derek Chauvin following the death in May 2020 of 46-year-old George Floyd.
He said the “long, hard, painstaking work” put in by investigators culminated in Tuesday’s guilty verdicts.
“I would not call today’s verdict justice, however, because justice implies true restoration. But it is accountability, which is the first step towards justice,” he said. “George Floyd mattered. He was loved by his family and his friends ... but that wasn’t why he mattered. He mattered because he was a human being.”
Update 5:25 p.m. ET April 20: Attorneys representing the family of George Floyd called the verdicts announced Tuesday “painfully earned justice” for the 46-year-old’s family.
“This case is a turning point in American history for accountability of law enforcement and sends a clear message we hope is heard clearly in every city and every state,” civil rights attorney Ben Crump said in a statement. “But it does not end here. We have not forgotten that the other three officers who played their own roles in the death of George Floyd must still be held accountable for their actions, as well.”
MEDIA ALERT: @AttorneyCrump & co-counsels release statement following #ChauvinTrial verdict of guilty, declaring it “painfully earned justice for the Floyd family & community.” pic.twitter.com/fC3V2Frdfb
— Ben Crump Law, PLLC (@BenCrumpLaw) April 20, 2021
Update 5:10 p.m. ET April 20: Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill on Tuesday ordered former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin be held without bond as he awaits sentencing after a jury found him guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
Cahill said Chauvin will be sentenced in about eight weeks, although he did not immediately name an exact date for the court hearing.
Update 5:05 p.m. ET April 20: Jurors found former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin guilty of all three charges he faced in the May 2020 death of George Floyd.
Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on Tuesday. The verdict was read Tuesday in court.
Update 5 p.m. ET April 20: Hundreds of people gathered outside the Hennepin County Government Center on Tuesday to await a reading of the verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin.
Crowds chant outside the Hennepin County Government Center waiting for the verdict in the #DerekChauvinTrial. The court will be open by 4 pm. There will be a lot of emotions no matter what the verdict is. pic.twitter.com/Wc1p3ec8Aa
— KaMaria B. (@KamOnCam_) April 20, 2021
Update 4:35 p.m. ET April 20: George Floyd’s girlfriend, Courteney Ross, told reporters gathered in Minneapolis on Tuesday that she is confident jurors will find Derek Chauvin guilty in the May 2020 death of her boyfriend.
“I know the verdict is coming back guilty, and when it does, I hope his heart will really come through for everybody,” she said. “He was out of this world. Floyd was a big man. And he was -- he was too big for this earth, and I see that he’s over all of us right now.”
Update 4:10 p.m. ET April 20: Derek Chauvin has arrived at the Hennepin County Government Center with his attorney, Eric Nelson, ahead of a reading Tuesday afternoon of the jury’s decision in his trial, CNN reported.
Update 3:45 p.m. ET April 20: Derek Chauvin is facing three charges: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Under Minnesota law, second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 40 years of imprisonment. Third-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in jail and a fine of up to $40,0000 while second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail and a fine of up to $20,000.
Update 3:35 p.m. ET April 20: Jurors deliberated for four hours on Monday and at least five hours on Tuesday before reaching their verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin.
The verdict will be read in court between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. local time, according to court officials.
>> Related: Chauvin trial: what happens now; who the jurors are; what sentence could Chauvin face?
Update 3:30 p.m. ET April 20: The jury deliberating the case against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has reached a verdict, court officials said Tuesday afternoon.
The verdict will be read in court between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. local time, officials said.
Original report: The 12-member jury panel was sequestered on Monday after hearing three weeks of testimony from experts, Floyd’s loved ones and witnesses. Jurors deliberated for about three hours after spending most of the day listening to closing arguments. They resumed deliberations at 8 a.m. CT on Tuesday.
Chauvin, 45, was charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter after video of him kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes went viral last year, sparking protests against racial inequality and police brutality.
President Joe Biden told reporters on Tuesday that he was “praying the verdict is the right verdict.”
“The evidence is overwhelming in my view,” he said.
On Monday, prosecutors argued that Chauvin’s actions were so obviously wrong that even a child could see it, pointing to testimony given by a 9-year-old witness earlier in the trial. The defense contended that the since-fired white officer acted as any reasonable officer would have, and said that other factors, including a heart condition and illegal drug use, caused Floyd’s death.
>> Related: Derek Chauvin trial: Girlfriend testifies about life with George Floyd, opioid addiction
The Hennepin County medical examiner ruled the death a homicide in 2020, determining that Floyd’s heart stopped as he was being restrained. A separate autopsy commissioned for Floyd’s family also called his death a homicide but concluded that he died of asphyxiation due to neck and back compression.
Floyd’s death prompted global outrage and sparked a national reckoning over racism and police brutality.
Three other officers also face charges in Floyd’s death. Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. They are expected to face juries in August.
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