Derek Chauvin sentencing: Ex-officer sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison for George Floyd murder

CNN’s Jake Tapper said that a new book by The Wall Street Journal’s Michael Bender obtained by the broadcaster “paints a disturbing picture” of the former president’s White House.

An excerpt from the book claims that on 1 June 2020, amid a nationwide uproar following the death of Mr Floyd, Mr Trump told military officials that to “handle” protesters they needed to “crack their skulls”.

“Trump told his team that he wanted the military to go in and ‘beat the f*** out’ of the protesters. ‘Just shoot them,’” the book titled, Frankly, We Did Win This Election’: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost, alleges.

The Independent’s Louise Hall reports.

Philonise Floyd and Terrance Floyd will speak at the sentencing of Derek Chauvin for the murder of their brother George, attorney Ben Crump told The Associated Press.

Nephew Brandon Williams will also make a victim impact statement to Judge Peter Cahill as he considers the prison sentence for the murder conviction.

While the presumptive sentence for second-degree unintentional murder is 12.5 years, Cahill has already found aggravating factors that provide for sentencing above the guideline range.

The victim impact statements from Floyd’s family will also go towards the judge’s considerations when deciding the sentence.

Press secretary Jen Psaki said at today’s daily briefing that the White House was watching the sentencing of Derek Chauvin “closely” but would wait until it is handed down before commenting.

“I don’t have anything to preview for you, I guess I should say at this point we’ll wait for the sentencing to come out,” Psaki said.

“As you know he has a close personal connection with the Floyd family and certainly I know they and we are watching this closely.”

Watch the full analysis with Independent TV.

Minnesota sentencing data for the five years through 2019 show that of 112 people sentenced for the same conviction as Chauvin, only two got maximum 40-year sentences. Both cases involved children who died due to abuse; both defendants had prior criminal records and struck plea deals.

The longest sentence during that time period for someone with no criminal history like Chauvin was 36 years, in another case involving the death of a child due to abuse. The sentence was appealed but upheld, with an appellate court finding it “was not excessive when a 13-month-old child was beaten to death.” - AP

Attorneys on both sides are expected to make brief arguments. Victims or family members of victims can also make statements about how they’ve been affected, but none have said publicly that they will.

Chauvin can talk if he wants, but it’s not clear if he will. Experts say it could be tricky for Chauvin to talk without implicating himself in a pending federal case accusing him of violating Floyd’s civil rights.

While some experts say Chauvin won’t talk, Mike Brandt, another defense attorney watching the case, said he thinks Chauvin will speak, and that he can say a few words without getting himself into legal trouble. “If I was him, I think I would want to try and let people know that I’m not a monster.”

Community members can submit impact statements online, and they may become part of the public record. - AP

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George Floyd’s daughter is giving the first victim impact statement at the sentencing of Derek Chauvin.

“I miss him all the time,” she said.

“I want to play with him,” she said when asked if she sees him again. “I want to play with him, have fun, go on a plane ride and that’s it.”

Brandon Williams asked the court for the maximum sentence of Derek Chauvin, saying their family is “forever broken” following the murder of his uncle George Floyd.

“Although Chauvin will be sentenced today and spend time in prison, he will have the luxury of seeing his family again, talking to them, he will likely get to spend time with them upon his release,” Williams said.

“George’s murder, this trial, and everything in between has been tragically devastating, our family is forever broken and one thing we cannot get back is George Floyd.”

The brother of George Floyd held back tears as he directed questions to Derek Chauvin to ask: “Why did you do it?”

“I just, over this last year and months, I actually talked to a few people and, um, I wanted to know from the man himself, why, what were you thinking, what was going through your head when you had your knee on my brother’s neck,” he said.

“When you knew that he posed no threat anymore when he was handcuffed, why didn’t you at least get up, why you stayed there?”

Chauvin watched on behind a mask, showing no outward signs of emotion.