George Floyd's death: jury found cop Derek Chauvin guilty and could give him 40 years in jail

Paula Lugones

04/20/2021 18:07

• Clarín.com

• World

Updated 04/20/2021 8:43 PM

White police officer Derek Chauvin, who crushed African American George Floyd's neck to death with his knee - a murder that caused a wave of massive protests against racism and police brutality across the United States -

received a harsh verdict on Tuesday: it was convicted

of all three counts of murder and manslaughter he faced

and can be jailed for 40 years.

Quickly, President Joe Biden 

celebrated that "justice" had been done

at the trial.

It took only about 10 hours for the jury to

reach the verdict that had the entire United States in suspense.

With thousands of people on the streets of Minneapolis amid enormous tension, with businesses boarded up and the Guardia Civil on the streets, the 12 people designated to establish the fate of police officer Derek Chauvin, 45, found him responsible for the death. by Floyd.

The instant the verdict was released - broadcast live on television across the country - a burst of relief and jubilation was heard on the streets of the city.

There was great fear that Chauvin would be acquitted or that he would only be found guilty of a lesser charge.

But the decision was the harshest possible.

There were tears among the crowd gathered at the corner where Floyd was killed and where a makeshift altar was erected. 

The jury, consisting of

5 white, 4 African American and two mixed race,

had retired to deliberate after Monday night's allegations to a hotel to remain isolated from any pressure.

The verdict was reached unanimously and was announced in court by the judge.

Jurors are anonymous and are only known by a number.

There are 7 women and five men who have been in isolation since the beginning of this high-profile trial, on March 29.

Members of the National Guard in Minneapolis, fearing riots.

Photo Bloomberg

Biden also denounced the "systemic racism"

that "stains" the soul of the United States. "The guilty verdict will not bring George back," he said in a short televised address from the White House. But it may mark the moment of "significant change," he added, calling on the nation to "come together" and not let "extremists who have no interest in social justice" succeed.

Shortly before the ruling was known, the president of the United States, Joe Biden,

had considered

the evidence against the former white policeman

"overwhelming"

and had asked for a "correct" verdict on the second day of deliberations by a jury in Minneapolis. Biden told reporters in the Oval Office that he had spoken by phone with "George's family," whom he met last June before Floyd's funeral.

In the trial televised live by the main media in the United States, Minnesota state attorney Steve Schleicher summarized to the jury on Monday what the prosecution has been raising since the trial began: that agent Chauvin exceeded in the use of force, that Floyd

died from lack of oxygen

caused by the knee tightness in his neck and that no medical help was provided before paramedics arrived.

"George Floyd begged until he could speak no more," the prosecutor continued, saying that Chauvin "was all asked for a little compassion and he showed nothing that day."

The defense, led by attorney Eric Nelson, argued that Floyd's death

was due to other reasons, such as underlying diseases, high blood pressure, opiate use

and the stress of the moment, among others.

And that Chauvin had acted in a regular police procedure because Floyd, who had been arrested for allegedly paying with false $ 20, had resisted.

The former agent was indicted on three charges, which the jurors carefully analyzed:

Murder in the second degree

(when the defendant intentionally kills someone, but without premeditation, or when there is no intention, but violence is used to commit the crime), punishable by up to 40 years in prison.

Murder in the third degree,

with a maximum sentence of 25 years, which requires that the death occur involuntarily, without premeditation, but due to irresponsible or reckless action, as occurs in many traffic accidents in which a pedestrian is killed.

Involuntary manslaughter,

which carries up to 10 years in prison, which would imply that Floyd's death occurred as a result of the negligence of the policeman.

The jury could have cleared him of some or all of the charges.

But he decided a harsh sentence by finding him responsible for all three.

Now Judge Peter Cahil will be the one who will assign the sentence, how many years will he get in jail. 

However, as he has no criminal record, Chauvin could only be sentenced to a maximum of 12 and a half years in prison for the first two charges and 4 years in prison for the third.

Chauvin, 45, has pleaded not guilty to all charges and used his constitutional right not to testify at his own trial.

The process comes as tension grows in the country over two other high-profile police crimes.

That is why the ruling was also highly anticipated.

On the streets of Minneapolis, the feeling was that if Chauvin was not found guilty, things would go haywire.

Another case was very present. Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black man, was shot to death in a Minneapolis suburb on April 11 by a white police officer who apparently mistook his gun for his Taser, and a 13-year-old boy was killed by police. In Chicago. Wright's assassination sparked several nights of protests in the city and before the verdict in the Chauvin case, National Guard troops were deployed to the city, where many businesses covered their windows as a precaution.

“I think we are all legitimately celebrating Chauvin's conviction in all respects. George Floyd's family and his community finally have a certain degree of justice and responsibility, "

Deborah Archer,

a law professor at New York University and co-director of the Center for Race, Inequality and Law at that university

, told

Clarín

.

"The verdict is important and it certainly is a game changer:

Having a former officer found guilty of murder for killing an unarmed black man remains an anomaly in this country

. I hope it brings some comfort to his family and community. But what we saw was responsibility, not true justice. Because we can't bring him back. Ultimately, I think we are still a long way from justice. While Derek Chauvin was on trial, more people of color were killed by the police. There is a momentary relief, but this does not change our system, "he added.

"Today, we must renew our conviction to create a world where the police do not have the opportunity or the authority to use violence to harass, attack, oppress and kill black people," he added.

David Schultz,

Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies at Hamline University, Minneapolis, told

Clarín

that "this is an important verdict in American law, but it can be interpreted in a number of ways. If there had been an acquittal, it would have been a huge setback. for a police reform ".

"If this is seen simply as a police officer who has done something wrong, it is a bad apple and there may be no political will or force for further reform. Justice has been served. On the other hand, there is a possibility that

this The decision is a statement on race, police and justice,

and creates the momentum for further reforms. We need to see how this plays out politically. "

Three other former police officers involved in Floyd's arrest, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, will be tried later.

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