Derek Chauvin handcuffed and led back to his cell to await word on where he'll serve his sentence - Tech

Derek Chauvin was handcuffed and taken away to the cells on Tuesday after Judge Peter Cahill revoked his bail, ahead of sentencing for the murder of George Floyd.

The 45-year-old former Minneapolis police officer was found guilty of all counts at the end of a three-week trial, with the jury taking just ten hours to reach their unanimous verdict.

After the verdict was read out at 4pm local time, Chauvin, showing no emotion, was taken straight to the cells in Hennepin County Government Center, where the trial was held, for processing.

Derek Chauvin was handcuffed and led away on Tuesday to be held in jail before sentencing

Chauvin showed no emotion as the three guilty verdicts were read out by Judge Peter Cahill

George Floyd, 46, was arrested for using a fake $20 bill and died when Chauvin tackled him

Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for nine and a half minutes on May 25 outside Cup Foods

Chauvin’s attorneys will have to notify the trial court within 60 days if they plan to appeal. His lawyers then have months to review transcripts and court filings dating from the start of the case to build their arguments.

They are likely to try and overturn the verdict based on the location – which they argue was too tense to ensure a fair trial – and on the media coverage, plus the $27 million settlement awarded to the family before the trial began. Chauvin’s defense tried to argue that it prejudiced the jury, saying it implied guilt.

It was unclear where Chauvin would be held for the next eight weeks, until sentencing.

He spent four months at the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center in St. Paul, 11 miles east of the downtown Minneapolis courtroom, following his arrest.

The 500-bed pre-trial facility was where Chauvin was held from May 27 – two days after Floyd’s killing – until he was freed on a $1 million bail in October.

Chauvin was held in pre-trial detention at Ramsey County Adult Detention Center (above)

Cells inside Oak Park Heights, which experts believe may be where Chauvin serves his sentence

MINNESOTA V DEREK CHAUVIN – CHARGES

Second-degree murder – GUILTY

The second-degree murder charge required prosecutors to prove Chauvin caused Floyd’s death while committing or trying to commit a felony — in this case, third-degree assault.

Prosecutors had to convince the jury that Chauvin assaulted or attempted to assault Floyd and in doing so inflicted substantial bodily harm. Prosecutors did not have to prove Chauvin was the sole cause of Floyd’s death – only that his conduct was a ‘substantial causal factor’.

Second degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 40 years, but because Chauvin does not have any prior convictions sentencing guidelines recommend he serve no more than 25.5 years in jail.

Second-degree manslaughter – GUILTY

The manslaughter charge has a lower bar, requiring proof that Chauvin caused Floyd’s death through negligence that created an unreasonable risk, and consciously took the chance of causing severe injury or death.

Second degree manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison – sentencing guidelines for someone without a criminal record call for no more than four years behind bars.

Third-degree murder – GUILTY

Third-degree murder required a lower standard of proof than second-degree. To win a conviction, prosecutors needed to show only that Floyd’s death was caused by an act that was obviously dangerous, though not necessarily a felony.

Third-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 25 years but because Chauvin has no criminal history he would likely end up serving about 12.5.

Wherever Chauvin is kept prior to his sentencing, he will be closely watched to ensure his safety.

He will certainly be considered a suicide risk, and will be closely monitored.

Well-being checks are one of the most important safeguards a jail can take to prevent inmate harm, said Bill Hutton, Executive Director of the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association – speaking to KARE 11 in February, after the 10th inmate since 2015 took his own life inside Hennepin jail.

By law, well-being checks on each inmate at a jail need to be made once every 30 minutes.

For those inmates who are physically or mentally sick, or considered a suicide risk, checks should be done far more frequently. Lights may well be kept on in their cells.

He will also, as a former police officer, be at risk from other inmates.

While being held before the trial, the managers of the jail ensured that he would not be protected by black guards, according to a lawsuit filed in February.

Eight minority correctional officers at Ramsey County jail filed a racial discrimination case, alleging only white employees were allowed to guard or interact with Chauvin.

The lawsuit, filed in Minnesota district court, alleges a top official at the center ordered employees of color to segregate on a separate floor away from Chauvin when he turned himself in on murder charges.

It also claims the former officer received special treatment at the facility, including from a jail official who is related to his sister, and was allowed to use her phone – a violation of jail policy.

It remains unclear where Chauvin will ultimately serve his sentence – and officials may keep the location under wraps due to safety concerns.

Because he was convicted at the state level he will be incarcerated in Minnesota, at one of the following state prisons:

MCF – Faribault
MCF – Lino Lakes
MCF – Oak Park Heights
MCF – Red Wing
MCF – Rush City
MCF – St. Cloud
MCF – Stillwater
MCF – Togo
MCF – Moose Lake

MCF – Oak Park Heights would be a likely pick for Chauvin because, as the state’s only Level 5 maximum-security prison with fewer than 500 inmates, it is regarded as one of the safest for high-risk offenders.

Three other officers involved in the arrest – Tou Thao, Thomas K. Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng – face trial in August.

They are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder while committing a felony, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter with culpable negligence.

What’s next? Case heads to pre-sentencing investigation

Chauvin’s sentence will rely heavily on a pre-sentencing investigation during which his character and habits – things not touched on in trial – will be taken into consideration.

Ahead of the trial the prosecution lobbied to have eight of Chauvin’s prior arrests in which they argue he used excessive force admitted in court.

Judge Cahill deemed all but two inadmissible on the grounds that the incidents were not similar enough and that the prosecution were improperly trying to show Chauvin’s propensity to resort to unreasonable force.

At the time he made his decision Cahill said that the state was simply trying ‘to depict Chauvin as a ‘thumper”.

Ultimately the prosecution decided not to make the arrests part of their case-in-chief but they may be used in any bid to see Chauvin handed down a higher sentence then allowed by sentencing guidelines if convicted.

A second ground on which the prosecution could also ask for this applies to ‘crimes committed in front of children’. The state called nine-year-old Judeah as a witness possibly with this in mind.

According to the Minnesota sentencing guidelines, the presumptive sentence for a person such as Chauvin with no criminal history is the same for murder in the third and unintentional murder in the second; 12 and a half years. But the judge has discretion to sentence anywhere between ten years and eight months to 15 years.

If the judge rules that aggravating factors are present and departs from the guidelines, the maximum sentence would be 40 years for second-degree murder, 25 years for third-degree murder and 10 years for second-degree manslaughter.