Derek Chauvin Conviction: Judge Allows Use Of Video, Audio During June 25 Sentencing
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Cameras and microphones will be allowed in the Hennepin County courtroom where Derek Chauvin -- the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd -- will be sentenced next month.
Judge Peter Cahill signed the order Thursday, which also prevents anyone except for attorneys to carry electronic devices in the courtroom. Anyone who speaks on behalf of Floyd at the sentencing also has the right to deny the use of audio and video during their time on the stand.
Chauvin -- who was convicted on April 20 of second- and third-degree murder plus second-degree manslaughter -- is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25. Judge Cahill ruled Wednesday that Chauvin may face a longer prison sentence because prosecutors proved certain aggravated factors "beyond a reasonable doubt," including the former officer's cruelty in his treatment of Floyd, and that his deadly restraint of the victim was carried out in front of children.
"It was particularly cruel to kill George Floyd slowly by preventing his ability to breathe when Mr. Floyd had already made it clear he was having trouble breathing," Cahill wrote.
Sentencing guidelines call for Chauvin to face a minimum of 12.5 years in prison, but he may now be sentenced to up to 40 years due to those aggravated factors.
On Tuesday, a Hennepin County judge denied the use of video and audio during the upcoming trial of ex-Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter, who is charged with manslaughter in last month's death of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop.