Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Derek Chauvin placed in solitary confinement at max security prison in Minnesota

Former police officer found guilty on all three counts

Louise Hall
Wednesday 21 April 2021 22:58 BST
Comments
Key moments from the Derek Chauvin murder trial
Leer en Español

Derek Chauvin has been placed in solitary confinement at a maximum-security prison in Minnesota after a jury convicted him of the murder of George Floyd.

The New York Times reported that Chauvin is being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights, located just east of the state capital of St. Paul. Chauvin is allowed out of his cell for an hour a day to exercise.

Chauvin’s new mugshot was released by the Minnesota Department of Corrections after the former police officer was found guilty on all three counts he faced by a 12-person jury on Tuesday.

The 45-year-old was led away from the courtroom in Minneapolis in handcuffs after he was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

Judge Peter Cahill revoked Chauvin’s bail and he will remain in police custody until his sentencing, which is scheduled for June.

CNN reported that Chauvin arrived at the maximum-security facility at 4.55 pm on Tuesday and that he has been placed there following an agreement between the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

After hearing 15 days of court testimony and deliberating for about 10 hours, the jury was able to reach a unanimous decision on the three charges against Chauvin.

The presumptive sentence for each murder charge was 12.5 years for defendants who, like Chauvin, have no prior criminal history, according to Minnesota’s state guidelines.

However, the state has asked for a stricter sentence for the former police officer due to several aggravating factors, which the judge will now deliberate and decide while deciding the length of the prison sentence.

State law also dictates that people are sentenced according to the most serious conviction. In Chauvin’s case, this would be second-degree murder, which carries a maximum 40-year sentence.

Judge Cahill could opt to ignore state law and stack Chauvin’s three charges into one sentence, but this would be unusual.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in