Attorneys for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin are seeking a lighter sentence, according to court filing submitted Wednesday (June 2). Chauvin’s attorneys specifically requested in the filings that Chauvin be sentenced to probation and time already served, claiming he is the product of a “broken system.”
Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s defense attorney, said his client’s age, lack of previous criminal convictions, and support from relatives supports the request for probation.
Prosecutors for the state of Minnesota are pursuing a 30-year sentence for Chauvin, 45, who was found guilty on three charges for the murder of George Floyd. That sentence, prosecutors say, would “properly account for the profound impact of Defendant’s conduct on the victim, the victim’s family, and the community,” the filing reads, according to a report by NPR. The prosecutors added that Chauvin’s actions on May 25, 2020 “shocked the Nation’s conscience.”
“No sentence can undo Mr. Floyd’ death, and no sentence can undo the trauma Defendant’s actions have inflicted. But the sentence the Court imposes must show that no one is above the law, and no one is below it,” the State prosecutors wrote in the filing. “Defendant’s sentence must hold him fully accountable for his reprehensible conduct.”
Chauvin’s sentence hearing is scheduled for June 25. Following Chauvin’s conviction, Judge Peter Cahill ruled that there were aggravating factors which allows Cahill to sentence Chauvin above the state-recommended range up to an additional 15 years.
Chauvin, along with three other officers involved in Floyd’s murder all face federal civil rights violation charges. Chauvin also faces multiple counts of tax evasion.
Photo: Getty Images