Former US Police Officer Derek Chauvin Convicted of All Charges in George Floyd's Murder

Trigger warning: this article discusses murder, violence, death and racism.

Almost a year after the murder of George Floyd—whose death instigated an international racial injustice movement—former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty of murder.

After an 11-hour deliberation, the jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, with a carrying sentence of up to 40 years; third-degree murder, with a carrying sentence of up to 25 years; and second-degree murder, with a sentence of up to 10 years.

Mr Chauvin pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The jury consisted of 12 people, who considered three weeks of testimony from 45 witnesses including bystanders, medical experts and police officials.

Following Floyd’s murder, thousands of protesters marched in the United States. For seven consecutive days people took to the streets, with at least 40 US cities imposing curfews in response to the protests.

The release of smartphone footage that captured Floyd’s final moments showed the world the terrifying extent of police brutality and systemic racism that still exists in modern America.

He was pinned to the pavement by a police officer with a knee to the neck, and was held there for nearly nine minutes. Despite his pleas that he couldn’t breathe, the officer did not move, and Floyd died.

At the time, Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

The movement quickly gained global media and public attention and sparked similar protests all over the world, including here in Australia for the violence against Indigenous Australians at the hands of police, and the overwhelming deaths of Aboriginal people in police custody.

Large crowd gathered at #GeorgeFloyd solidarity protest in Perth, Western Australia - happening now #BlackLivesMatter #deathsincustody pic.twitter.com/GZhHDCLzjQ

— Aaron Fernandes (@az_journalist) June 1, 2020

These protests also instigated the slogan “defund the police”, calling for governments to reduce police budgets and reallocate them to social services for things like mental health, education, public health or housing.

The reason there was so much doubt surrounding the verdict of this case was that Chauvin’s defence argued that heart disease or exhaust fumes from a nearby police car may have contributed more to Floyd’s death.

However, after much deliberation, the jury found that Chauvin used excessive and illegal force that was a “substantial causal factor” in Floyd’s death.

Once the news of Chauvin’s new sentence was released, crowds gathered outside the Hennepin County court in Minneapolis, cheering “George Floyd” and “Black Lives Matter.”

Despite celebrations, the courthouse was heavily surrounded by National Guard troops and high barricades.

The Floyd family's lawyer Ben Crump stated on Twitter that this was a positive time in American history.

"This case is a turning point in American history for accountability of law enforcement and sends a clear message we hope is heard clearly in every city and every state,” he wrote in the tweet.

"Justice for Black America is justice for all of America."

America’s first and only black president Barack Obama also tweeted about the verdict, saying that the ruling was the right one, but more needs to be done.

“Today, a jury did the right thing. But true justice requires much more,” he wrote in the tweet.

“We stand with all those who are committed to guaranteeing every American the full measure of justice that George and so many others have been denied.”

Additionally, the current US President Joe Biden also made a statement about the verdict via Twitter, calling it a step forward in the march towards justice.

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Header Image: Twitter (@CarlosGphoto)