Chauvin will serve the federal sentence at the same time he is serving a 22 1/2 year sentence on the state murder and manslaughter charges. The former police officer pinned George Floyd to the pavement outside a Minneapolis corner store for more than nine minutes as he lay dying on May 25, 2020. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson told Chauvin that what he did was “just wrong” and “offensive.” Mr Magnuson said: “I really don’t know why you did what you did. Image: The killing of George Floyd sparked protests around the world “Putting your knee on a person’s throat until they expire is just wrong.” Floyd’s brother Philoniz also asked for the maximum possible sentence. He said: “My family and I have been sentenced to life imprisonment. “We will never take George’s life back.” Federal prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Chauvin to 25 years. Chauvin initially pleaded not guilty to the federal charges, but changed his plea in December. Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, had asked for 20 years, arguing that he was remorseful. However, he made no immediate apology or expression of remorse to Floyd’s family in court. Instead, he told the family that he wishes Floyd’s children “the best in their lives” and that they have “great guidance in becoming good adults.” For the first time Chauvin admitted he kept his knee on Floyd’s neck, even as he said he couldn’t breathe. The killing sparked protests against racism and police brutality around the world. Mr. Magnuson has not set sentencing dates for the three other officers at the scene — Tou Thao, J. Alexander Keung and Thomas Lane — who were convicted in February on federal civil rights charges.
