Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, a Minnesota court said Friday (April 23).
His sentencing will take place at 1:30 p.m. Central. The update comes just three days after the former officer was convicted for the murder of George Floyd. Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for Floyd’s death.
Last May, Chauvin held his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes as he yelled out that he couldn’t breathe. His death, which was caught on camera, reignited the Black Lives Matter movement and sparked protests all over the world.
Chauvin’s murder trial took place over the course of three weeks. The 12-person jury listened to 45 witnesses, including people who were there when Floyd was killed and medical experts who watched the video of Chauvin restraining him. Ultimately, the jury decided that Chauvin did, in fact, use excessive force and found him guilty on all counts.
Following the verdict, Judge Peter Cahill remanded Chauvin into custody. He will be held behind bars until his sentencing hearing and has been placed in a segregation housing unit at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights for his own safety.
Chauvin is facing up to 40 years behind bars for his most serious charge. The maximum sentence for third-degree murder is imprisonment up to 25 years and the maximum sentence for second-degree manslaughter is 10 years and/or a $20,000 fine.
Chauvin, however, does not have a criminal record, so the probable sentence for both third-degree and second-degree murder will be 12.5 years. Judge Cahill will make the decision on sentencing for Chauvin — which could fall anywhere between 10 years and 15 years for each charge.
The former cop will have 60 days to appeal the verdict.