Derek Chauvin Convicted of Murder of George Floyd

By Akua Devall

A jury has found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts he faced over the death of George Floyd.

The trial has been one of the most closely watched cases in recent memory, setting off a national reckoning on police violence and systemic racism even before the trial commenced. Chauvin, 45, was found guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, after the jury deliberated for about 10 hours over two days.

Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, hugged prosecutor Jerry Blackwell, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and others, according to pool reports from a journalist in the courtroom. Ellison and Blackwell shook hands. Philonise Floyd had been seen praying in the courtroom. Asked by a pool reporter afterward what he had been praying for, he answered: "I was just praying they would find him guilty. As an African American, we usually never get justice."

Floyd's death on Memorial Day 2020 sparked protests in Minneapolis, across the United States, and around the world. It prompted calls for police reform and soul-searching on issues of racial injustice.

Floyd died after Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds as Floyd lay face down, hands cuffed behind his back. Chauvin's defense argued that there were a range of potential factors in Floyd's death, including what it said was Floyd's enlarged heart, fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system, and possibly carbon monoxide from squad car exhaust.

The prosecution argued that Floyd died as a direct result of Chauvin's actions - that due to Chauvin's weight on Floyd's neck and back while holding him in the prone position, Floyd died of low oxygen levels that caused a brain injury and arrhythmia, causing his heart to stop. "He did what he did on purpose, and it killed George Floyd," said prosecutor Steve Schleicher. Above all, defense attorney Eric Nelson strove to inject doubt into the state's case. He framed Chauvin's actions as those of a "reasonable police officer" doing his job under stressful and chaotic circumstances.

Unintentional second-degree murder is defined as causing death without intent to do so, while committing or attempting to commit a felony offense. The maximum sentence for second-degree murder is 40 years. Third-degree murder is causing death to an individual by "perpetrating an act imminently dangerous to others and evidencing a depraved mind without regard for human life," but without the intent to cause death. It carries a maximum sentence of 25 years. Second-degree manslaughter is causing the death of another by "culpable negligence, creating an unreasonable risk" in which the defendant "consciously takes the risk of causing death or great bodily harm to another individual." It carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Donald Williams, who testified for the prosecution during the trial, said he wasn't sure if he expected a guilty verdict in the case. He likened testifying to taking part in a "championship fight." "I just kept telling myself to stay mentally focused," he said. "All I was just doing was telling the truth." Williams said now the verdict has been reached, he hopes he can help make the world a more just place for his children and other Black Americans.