Derek Chauvin gets 22.5 years in prison for George Floyd’s death

With good behavior, Derek Chauvin, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to twenty-two and a half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under Chauvin’s knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations. The punishment — which fell short of the 30 years that prosecutors had requested — came after Chauvin broke his more than yearlong silence in court to offer condolences to the Floyd family and say he hopes more information coming out will eventually give them “some peace of mind”. With good behavior, Chauvin, 45, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years. In imposing the punishment, Judge Peter Cahill went beyond the twelve and a half-year sentence prescribed under state guidelines, citing “your abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty” shown to Floyd.