Tag: Derek Chauvin

Judge backs aggravating factors in Chauvin trial, clears way for longer prison term

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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.

Derek Chauvin, 3 former officers indicted on federal civil rights charges

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A federal grand jury Friday has indicted Derek Chauvin and three other former Minneapolis officers for civil rights violations related to the death of George Floyd.

Why it matters: The new charges mean the officers could face another high-profile criminal trial following a yearlong racial reckoning across the nation.

Details: The grand jury indicted Chauvin in two cases: for kneeling on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes in May 2020 and for a similar arrest of a 14-year-old boy in 2017.  Continue reading.

Feds plan to indict Chauvin, other three ex-officers on civil rights charges

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Ex-cop would face federal charges in two cases; three others just in Floyd case. 

Leading up to Derek Chauvin’s murder trial, Justice Department officials had spent months gathering evidence to indict the ex-Minneapolis police officer on federal police brutality charges, but they feared the publicity frenzy could disrupt the state’s case.

So they came up with a contingency plan: If Chauvin were found not guilty on all counts or the case ended in a mistrial, they would arrest him at the courthouse, according to sources familiar with the planning discussions.

The backup plan would not be necessary. On April 20, the jury found Chauvin guilty on all three murder and manslaughter counts, sending him to the state’s most secure lockdown facility to await sentencing, and avoiding the riots many feared could engulf the city once again. Continue reading.

Minnesota GOP challenges Democrats over Rep. Maxine Waters’ words

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Democrats counter that GOP was silent on Jan. 6 insurrection at Capitol. 

WASHINGTON – Comments last weekend by Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters at a Twin Cities protest are deeply dividing Minnesota’s political delegation in Washington as Republicans unsuccessfully sought to censure the California lawmaker.

As the nation waited for the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial Tuesday, House Democrats, including four from Minnesota, blocked the GOP’s resolution censuring Waters for urging protesters “to get more confrontational” if the jury acquitted the former police officer.

Minnesota’s four GOP House members pushed for Waters to be censured, saying in a letter that “these comments … are unacceptable, divisive and can only be viewed as a means to incite further violence and destruction.” Continue reading.

‘Nope, done’: Tucker Carlson abruptly ends interview after former NYPD officer schools him on Derek Chauvin’s culpability

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On Tuesday, April 20, a jury found former Minneapolis police officer guilty of three charges in connection with the May 25, 2020 killing of Georgia Floyd: second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Far-right Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson, the night of April 20, discussed the verdict with Ed Gavin — a former deputy sheriff with the New York City Sheriff’s Department — and Carlson brought the interview to an abrupt end when he didn’t like Gavin’s analysis.

Carlson asked Gavin to weigh in on “what this means for law enforcement,” posing the question, “Who’s going to become a cop going forward, do you think?” Gavin responded, “I think people will still become police officers. This really is a learning experience for everyone. Let’s face it: what we say in that video was pure savagery. I mean, the documentary evidence showed the police officer putting his knee on the perpetrator’s neck while he was rear-cuffed and his stomach was on the ground, causing positional asphyxia.”

Gavin continued, “What I’d like to see is more training for police. I’d like to see the police trained as EMTs, like in the fire department.” Continue reading.

Chauvin likely to face uphill battle in expected appeal

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Derek Chauvin‘s legal team may face an uphill battle if they seek to appeal his conviction on murder charges in the death of George Floyd, legal experts say.

However, Chauvin’s defense team likely sees the charged atmosphere around the trial and public comments from Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and President Biden as grounds for a future appeal. Judge Peter Cahill even highlighted Waters’s remarks as possible fodder.

On Tuesday, a jury convicted Chauvin of all three murder and manslaughter charges brought by state prosecutors in the highly-publicized trial. Continue reading.

Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: April 23, 2021


This week, the entire world watched as Minnesota awaited the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, while mourning the death of Daunte Wright at the hands of law enforcement.

While the trial of Derek Chauvin ended in justice for George Floyd in the courtroom, we know that full justice won’t be achieved until all Minnesotans feel safe and the relationship between law enforcement and our communities heals.

The Governor will continue to work to pass police reform legislation in our state.

Continue reading “Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: April 23, 2021”

New signs of progress emerge on police reform

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Congress is under heightened pressure to reach a long-elusive deal on police reform after Derek Chauvin’s conviction for the murder of George Floyd. 

The conviction, heralded by Democrats and activists as a milestone in the quest for racial justice, immediately shifted attention from the courts to Congress, renewing questions about what bill, if any, could pass the 50-50 Senate, where initial police reform discussions after Floyd’s death unraveled nearly a year ago. 

Democrats believe the verdict has given them new momentum, and behind-the-scenes bipartisan talks have been happening for months, with negotiators hoping to have language in a matter of weeks.  Continue reading.

Women for Trump official: They’ll riot anyway because they don’t want to miss ‘free ticket for a shopping spree’

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On Tuesday, the jury in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin handed down multiple convictions of murder and manslaughter for the death of George Floyd — sparking relief all across the country, and triggering joyous celebrations in place of the protests that some officials feared would take place.

But according to Amy Kremer, the co-founder of Women for Trump and the director of the far-right Women for America First, the verdict will not change things, and residents of Minneapolis are still “going to riot regardless” — because they have a “free ticket for a shopping spree.”

Kremer’s comments triggered immediate outrage, with many commenters noting that she clearly meant to imply that Black residents of the city are violent thieves looking for an excuse to steal and loot — and others noting that she had no such words for the people motivated by her “Stop the Steal” rhetoric to violently invade the U.S. Capitol. Continue reading.

Wingnuts Freaking Out Over Chauvin Verdict (Except Judge Jeanine)

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While many observers welcomed the jury’s finding on Tuesday that Derek Chauvin was guilty of murdering George Floyd, some conservative media figures seemed distinctly perturbed, unsettled, or outraged by the outcome. It seemed that though Floyd’s murder was initially was widely condemned, the movement it stirred and demands for changes it spurred from progressives polarized the issue, making some conservatives feel the guilty verdict was a loss for their side.

For example, some pushed the debunked notion that Floyd died from an overdose, rather than the knee on his neck for over 9 minutes:

Continue reading.