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Apr 30, 20212 min read

Justice is Found: Derek Chauvin Found Guilty

Justice is Found: Derek Chauvin Found Guilty

May 25, 2020: A 46 year-old man bought a pack of cigarettes and an employee called the police claiming he used a counterfeit $20 bill. By the time the first squadron of cars arrived at the scene, the man was being pinned down by one police officer, with three other officers standing by, and didn’t show any signs of life. This man was George Floyd.


George Floyd was pinned by the neck for at least 8 minutes and 15 seconds. There was a lot of debate about how he died. Floyd had a past history of drug use, and the autopsy revealed he did go into cardiac arrest, but it was caused by neck compression by the law enforcement officer. The case title of his autopsy reads: CARDIOPULMONARY ARREST COMPLICATING LAW ENFORCEMENT SUBDUAL, RESTRAINT, AND NECK COMPRESSION. The full autopsy report is listed below.

The officer who kept his knee pinned against Floyd’s neck, Derek Chauvin, and the 3 other officers that responded to the call were fired from the department the day after Floyd’s death. On May 29, Mike Freeman, the Hennepin County attorney, announced third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges against Chauvin.

Nearly 11 months after George Floyd’s death, the jury in charge of Chauvin’s verdict came to a decision on April 20, 2021. Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

If you aren’t sure what the charges are listed above, here are the definitions:

  1. Second-degree unintentional murder is as follows: for this conviction, the prosecutors must show that the victim was killed while being assaulted. This is the most serious charge of the three convictions and carries a presumed sentence of 12 ½ years.

  2. Third-degree murder is as follows: for this conviction, the prosecutors must prove that someone caused the death of another. This conviction also carries a sentence of 12 ½ years.

  3. Second-degree manslaughter is as follows: for this conviction, the prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the convicted was “culpably negligent” and took an unreasonable risk with the life of the victim. This charge has a presumptive conviction of 4 years.


There were 3 other officers present at the time of Floyd’s death: J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao. Each of these men will face the two charges of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder along with second-degree manslaughter. Prosecutors will need to prove that the other three officers intentionally aided, advised, hired, counseled, or conspired with Chauvin. With the recent conviction of Chauvin, the case against the other 3 officers will be easier to prosecute.



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