Derek Chauvin, former officer who pressed knee against George Floyd’s neck, asks to have charges dismissed
New developments have been released, surrounding Derek Chauvin, one of the police officers charged in George Floyd’s death.George Perry Floyd Jr. was an African-American man killed during an arrest after a store clerk alleged he had passed a counterfeit $20 bill in Minneapolis.
Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for a period initially reported to be 8 minutes and 46 seconds. After his death, protests against police brutality towards black people quickly spread across the United States and internationally.The three other officers outside of Derek Chauvin, J. Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao, have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. All of them have been fired.According to reports, Derek Chauvi’s legal team requested that the charges against him be dismissed, arguing in court that there’s no sufficient evidence against him.
Prosecutors reportedly seek stiff sentences if all the officers involved are convicted.
Under the state’s sentencing guidelines, a conviction on second-degree unintentional murder and third-degree murder both carry presumptive sentences of 12.5 years. But a judge can order a sentence ranging up to 15 years without departing from the guidelines. For second-degree manslaughter, the guidelines call for four years in prison, or a discretionary range up to 4.75 years.
But prosecutors said Friday that they will ask for an “upward departure” from the sentencing guidelines for all four men – meaning they intend to seek even higher penalties. The second-degree murder charge carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, while third-degree murder carries a maximum of up to 25 years and manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
The documents don’t indicate how much prison time prosecutors will request if the men are convicted.
