Hennepin County Judge Peter A. Cahill revoked former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s bail, Tuesday, after a jury found him guilty on three counts: second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
Chauvin was seen being placed into handcuffs and led away from the courtroom. He will remain in jail until his sentencing which the judge expects to be in eight weeks.
“Mr. Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer who has been free on bail since the fall, was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs and remanded into the custody of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office,” The New York Times reported Tuesday. “Judge Cahill said he expected to begin a sentencing hearing in about eight weeks.”
“After a little over ten hours of deliberation, a jury on Tuesday found former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in relation to the death of George Floyd,” The Daily Wire reported earlier Tuesday.
The jury in Chauvin’s case considered three separate charges, “second-degree murder—unintentional, while committing a felony; third-degree murder; and second-degree manslaughter,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
“The judge explained that third-degree murder requires proof Mr. Chauvin caused Mr. Floyd’s death by committing an eminently dangerous act that was highly likely to cause death and showed a reckless disregard for human life. To convict Mr. Chauvin of second-degree manslaughter, the jurors would need to conclude that culpable negligence and reckless actions by Mr. Chauvin caused Mr. Floyd’s death,” the outlet noted.
According to the sentencing guidelines available through the Hennepin County court system, the murder charges carry an average sentence of 12.5 years in prison for first-time offenders, and Chauvin has no existing criminal record. The judge noted that he would sentence Chauvin on the charge that carried the longest jail term and that Chauvin would serve jail time for each of his crimes concurrently.
The second-degree murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
Chauvin’s defense team is likely to file an appeal of the jury’s verdict. On Monday, after both sides had finished their closing arguments, Chauvin’s defense attorney, Eric Nelson, raised the prospect of a mistrial. Judge Cahill struck down Nelson’s motion but admitted that certain public figures who commented on the case, including Rep. Maxine Waters (R-CA), opened an avenue for the defense on appeal.
“I just don’t know how this jury can really be … that they are free from the taint of this,” Nelson said in his final plea. “Now that we have U.S. representatives threatening acts in relation to this specific case. It’s mind-boggling.”
“Well, to be fair, the last few times I advised [the jury], I told them not to watch the news, pure and simple,” Cahill said, answering Nelson’s concerns.
Public figures also weighed in following the Chauvin verdict. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) addressed the conviction at a press conference with a baffling statement.
“So again, thank you, George Floyd, for sacrificing your life for justice, for being there to call out to your mom,” Pelosi said. “How heartbreaking was that, call out for your mom, I can’t breathe, but because of you and because of thousands, millions of people around the world who came out for justice, your name will always be synonymous with justice.”