Derek Chauvin Found Guilty of George Floyd’s Murder

The verdict is in for the trial of Derek Chauvin, and a jury found him guilty on all three charges stemming from the murder of George Floyd.

Chauvin has been found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Third-degree murder has a maximum of 25 years, and the manslaughter charge has a maximum of 10 years. Actual sentences often fall short of statutory maximums.

Chauvin was accused of killing Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by kneeling on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.

A stunned Chauvin was handcuffed in the courtroom and taken into custody by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office. Judge Peter Cahill said “eight weeks from now we will have sentencing.”

“I think it will mean change; it will mean change. It’s a first step in a long road to recovery,” Floyd’s girlfriend, Courteney Batya Ross, told CNN ahead of the verdict. “I believe Floyd came here for a reason,” she said.