Derek Chauvin WILL face third degree murder charges in a stunning reversal of Hennepin County District Court’s decision to remove the charge from his rap sheet last October.
Judge Peter Cahill heard arguments from both prosecution and defense on the matter first thing on Thursday morning after the state Supreme Court kicked back a defense appeal to override a Court of Appeal’s ruling that he had erred in his earlier decision.
The decision is a huge blow to Chauvin. The charge is seen by many to represent the prosecution’s best chance of securing a murder conviction in the ex-Minneapolis police officer’s trial for the killing of George Floyd.
If Chauvin is convicted of third-degree murder, he faces a maximum sentence of 25 years, though sentencing guidelines state that someone who does not have a criminal record – like Chauvin – would receive 12.5 years behind bars.
Last spring, Floyd’s family reacted angrily to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office decision to initially charge Chauvin with third-degree murder, an indication that prosecutors believed that the cop did not act intentionally.
Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill (pictured left on Thursday in court in Minneapolis) reinstated the third-degree murder charge against former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin (seen in court on Thursday)
Chauvin, 46, faces the prospect of decades in prison if he is convicted of second-degree murder or third-degree murder. A conviction of just second-degree manslaughter would likely result in a four-year prison sentence. Chauvin is the police officer seen kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25. Shortly afterward, Floyd was pronounced dead at the scene
George Floyd is pictured in the above undated file photo. Chauvin’s attorney will argue that Floyd’s death was caused by methamphetamines and opioids found in his system
Floyd’s family wanted a first-degree murder…
Read the full article at www.dailymail.co.uk
