Derek Chauvin Offers ‘No Apology’ Before Being Sentenced to Over 20 Years in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Federal Charges

Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin offered “no apology” today before being sentenced to over 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges.

The sentence is to run concurrently to the 22½-year sentence he already received after he was found guilty of second-and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter, in April 2021 in a state case for the death of George Floyd.

Federal prosecutors were apparently hoping to extend Chauvin’s time as they had asked U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson to sentence him to 25 years.

That would have been on the high end of the 20-to 25-year range of the plea agreement as they said Chauvin abused his authority as a police officer and acted callously.

The defense had asked for 20 years, insisting that Chauvin was remorseful and that he has accepted responsibility for what he did.

Magnuson sentenced Chauvin to 21 years in prison, with credit for the time he has already served and the plea deal calls for him to be transferred from a Minnesota state prison to a federal prison, where experts say he likely will be safer and may be held under less restrictive conditions.

Chauvin has been held in isolation in a 10-by-10-foot room at the state’s maximum-security prison for his own protection that he’s allowed to leave for an average of one hour per day for exercise.

After initially pleading not guilty to the federal charges, Chauvin changed his plea in December and at the time, he also admitted guilt in a separate federal indictment in connection with allegations that he deprived a 14-year-old boy, John Pope, of his civil rights in an encounter in September 2017.

Prior to being sentenced, Chauvin offered “no apology” for his actions in his sentencing hearing, according to reporter Esme Murphy.

In a tweet, Murphy reported that Chauvin instead offered the victims’ families including Floyd’s daughter this: “I wish them all the best in their life and have excellent guidance in becoming great adults.”

As for Pope, who is now 19 years old, Chauvin told him, “I hope you have a good relationship with your mother and sister and I hope you have a chance to get a good education.”

Derek Chauvin offers no apology for his actions in his sentencing hearing, instead offered the victims families including Georg Floyds daughter this:"i wish them all the best in their life and have excellent guidance in becoming great adults" @wcco 5 and 6 no word on sentence yet

— esme murphy (@esmemurphy) July 7, 2022