Judge Peter Cahill finds that Chauvin abused authority, treated George Floyd “with particular cruelty.”
The judge in the Derek Chauvin murder trial has found there are “beyond a reasonable doubt” aggravating factors in the killing of George Floyd last year that clear the way to sentence the fired Minneapolis police officer to a term above state guidelines.
In a ruling filed Wednesday morning that hit on many of the major prosecution points that led to Chauvin’s conviction, Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill cited four aggravating factors that will be considered when he sentences Chauvin on June 25.
Those factors are that Chauvin “abused a position of trust and authority” as a police officer, that he “treated George Floyd with particular cruelty,” that children were present when Floyd was pinned to the pavement at 38th and Chicago for more than 9 minutes until he died, and that he committed the crime with “active participation” of others, namely three fellow officers. Continue reading.