Derek Chauvin could face 20-plus years in prison following conviction

MINNEAPOLIS — Jurors convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Tuesday of all the counts filed against him — second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter — in the killing of George Floyd, who died after being pinned under his knee for more than nine minutes last May.

Chauvin looked stern and glanced around the courtroom as the verdicts were removed from an envelope and read by Judge Peter Cahill.

The fired police officer had on a paper mask and showed no significant reaction. When his bail was revoked, he stood up, put his hands behind his back, was handcuffed and gave a nod to defense attorney Eric Nelson as he was led out the back door of the courtroom by a Hennepin County sheriff's deputy.

The Sheriff's Office said Chauvin was transferred to the Minnesota Department of Corrections. The agency said Chauvin was booked into the state prison at Oak Park Heights, at 4:55 p.m. CDT, 48 minutes after the verdicts were read. Chauvin was transferred to the same prison for safety reasons after his initial arrest in the case last year.

Cahill thanked the jurors, who each confirmed their votes as correctly read. "I have to thank you for not only jury service, but heavy duty jury service," he said.

He asked the attorneys to file written arguments regarding aggravated sentencing factors that could add time to Chauvin's sentence for restraining Floyd on the pavement of 38th and Chicago, an act captured on bystander video that went viral and played a vital role in the verdicts.

If Cahill accepts the prosecution's contention that aggravating factors should be applied at sentencing, the maximum term the 45-year-old Chauvin could receive would be 30 years, according to Ted Sampsell-Jones, a professor at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law and an appellate criminal defense attorney. The first 20 years would be served in prison and the balance on supervised release if he qualifies.

The state is already on the record that among the factors are: Floyd was especially vulnerable, Chauvin was a uniformed police officer acting in a position of authority, and his acts were witnessed by children, one of them 9 years old.

Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office oversaw Chauvin's prosecution, saluted the "bouquet of humanity" who attempted to intervene and recorded Floyd's final moments.

"They didn't know George Floyd, they didn't know he had a beautiful family, they didn't know that he was a proud father or had people in his life who loved him," Ellison said to reporters as members of his legal team stood behind him. "They stopped and they raised their voices because they knew what they were seeing was wrong. They didn't need to be medical or use-of-force experts. They knew it was wrong, and they were right."

Darnella Frazier, who at age 17 shot the cellphone video that proved pivotal to Chauvin's conviction, said on Facebook after the verdicts, "I just cried so hard. This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious, anxiety [busting] through the roof. But to know GUILTY ON ALL 3 CHARGES!!! THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. George Floyd we did it!!! Justice has been served."

Co-prosecutor Jerry Blackwell followed Ellison and said to reporters, "No verdict can bring George Perry Floyd back to us, but this verdict does give a message to his family that his life mattered, that all of our lives matter, and that's important."

Nelson, who was hired by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association to defend Chauvin, left the courtroom without comment and has so far not replied to a request for his reaction to the verdicts or whether an appeal might be filed.

One of Floyd's brothers, Philonise Floyd, was in the courtroom for the verdicts. The younger brother has been a steady presence on behalf of the family. About an hour after the verdicts were read, Floyd family members were spotted in downtown Minneapolis speaking on the phone with President Joe Biden, who has been keeping close tabs on the proceedings. "We're all so relieved," Biden said, speaking for himself and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Another brother, Terrence Floyd, said, "I will salute [George] every day of my life.

"I will salute him," the brother said as he looked to the sky and made that gesture with his right hand, "because he showed me how to be strong. ... What a day to be a Floyd, man."

The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis responded in a statement that "there are no winners in this case, and we respect the jury's decision. We need the political pandering to stop and the race-baiting of elected officials to stop.

"In addition, we need to stop the divisive comments, and we all need to do better to create a Minneapolis we all love." The statement added in a line geared toward residents of Minneapolis that the federation "stands with you and not against you."

Ellison, during his statement, also addressed policing when he said, "The work of our generation is to put unaccountable law enforcement behind us. It's time to transform the relationship between community and the people who are sworn to protect them from one that is mistrustful, suspicious, and in some cases terrifying, into one that is empathetic, compassionate and affirming. That will benefit everyone, including police officers who deserve to serve in a profession that is honored and [in] departments where they don't have to worry about colleagues who don't follow the rules."

Star Tribune staff writers Chao Xiong, Paul Walsh, Rochelle Olson and Libor Jany contributed to this report.