Judge Denies Motion for New Trial, Derek Chauvin Sentenced to 22.5 Years for Murder Conviction

Dereck Chauvin has been sentenced to 22.5 years for the murder of George Floyd. It’s hard to say yet if this can or will be appealed by Chauvin. Many speculated that it might be overturned if it was “too long” of a sentence.

Just before a 15 minute recess during the sentencing hearing, Chauvin extended his condolences to the Floyd family saying, “At this time, due to some additional legal matters at hand, I’m not able to give a full formal statement at this time. There’s going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest and I hope some things will give you some peace of mind.” Chauvin hinted at potential revelation of more information that could change public perception of the case.

Earlier today the judge denied a motion for new trial:

The Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill denied requests for a new trial from Derek Chain on Thursday. Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, sought a new trial due to “juror misconduct”. Nelson was frustrated that the court ruled to keep the trial in Minneapolis and not sequester the jury effectively. Juror #52, Brandon Mitchell allegedly lied to the court concerning his knowledge of the case. Mitchell had told the court that he had no prior knowledge of the George Floyd case but this contradicts with the photographs of Mitchell wearing a shirt that reads “get your knees off our necks” and “BLM”.

“In a Facebook post dated August 31, 2020, Brandon Mitchell was … wearing a shirt with the words “Get your knee off our necks” and “BLM,” which is short for Black Lives Matter. This would contradict his claim that he had no prior knowledge of the case.” https://t.co/M84Wq0OB0P

— Judith (@2_legs) May 2, 2021

When asked if he knows much about the case, Mitchell made no mention of his BLM activism and insisted he could serve as an impartial juror.

Juror #52 wrote in his jury questionnaire that he wondered why other police officers at the scene did not intervene in #GeorgeFloyd deadly arrest. He recognizes the historic nature of the case. Defense says he is an acceptable juror. So state’s turn to question. #DerekChauvinTral

— Paul Blume (@PaulBlume_FOX9) March 15, 2021

In a media appearance with Erica Cambell back in late April, Mitchell encouraged people on jury duty to promote societal change. “I mean it’s important if we wanna see some change, we wanna see some things going different, we gotta into these avenues, get into these rooms to try to spark some change,” he said. “Jury duty is one of those things. Jury duty. Voting. All of those things we gotta do.”

Regardless of Chauvin’s legal team’s frustration surrounding Brandon Mitchell, Judge Cahill said that the Chauvin team failed to prove “the Court abused its discretion or committed error such that Defendant was deprived of his constitutional right to a fair trial” or “that the State engaged in prosecutorial misconduct such that Defendant was deprived of his constitutional right to a fair trial.”

Chauvin’s attorney protested that Chauvin should receive probation and time served or at least a lesser sentence: “Mr. Chauvin asks the Court to look beyond its findings, to his background, his lack of criminal history, his amenability to probation, to the unusual facts of this case, and to his being a product of a ‘broken’ system.” Chauvin could face up to 40 years for second-degree murder, as much as 25 years for third-degree murder and 10 years for manslaughter.

Stay tuned to Media Right News for any updates.