Floyd murder: agent Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22 and a half years

Floyd’s family and lawyers had asked for the maximum sentence for him, which is 30 years in prison. But the sentence passed by the court in the past few hours has disappointed the expectations of many: the former police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, a punishment considered by many to be too weak. Outside the Minneapolis courthouse a multitude of people awaited the verdict waving the image of George Floyd and shouting at the top of their lungs what has now become a universal cry: Black Lives Matter. The bitterness among those present is clear: this closes a case that has profoundly marked America with repercussions all over the world, but disappoints the expectations of those who would have wanted what they considered “an exemplary sentence”, or the maxim penalty for a violent and unjustified act.

Before issuing the sentence, Judge Peter Cahill stressed that he made his decision “not in the wake of emotions and sympathy but on facts. My decision is accompanied by a 22-page memorandum that explains it and does not want to be a message to anyone ”, as reported by the Ansa agency.

President Joe Biden also commented on the verdict, pointing out that: “I am not aware of all the circumstances that have been considered but the sentence” seems appropriate “”.

Present in the classroom after two months spent in solitary confinement, Derek Chausin remained impassive in front of the verdict and with his face almost all the time covered by the mask. He only took it off for a few moments when htook the floor to address George Floyd’s family to whom, with a trembling and visibly shaken voice, he expressed his condolences.

His mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, had previously intervened to address the judge and the public: “They described him as aggressive, careless and racist. But I want to tell you it’s not like that: he’s a good person, ”he said.
Floyd’s family also turned to Judge Cahill, including Gianna, the 7-year-old daughter connected via video. To those who asked her what she would like to say to her father, she replied: “I would like to tell him that I miss him and that I love him».

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