Attorneys for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin are seeking a lighter sentence, according to court filing submitted Wednesday (June 2). Chauvinâs attorneys specifically requested in the filings that Chauvin be sentenced to probation and time already served, claiming he is the product of a âbroken system.âÂ
Eric Nelson, Chauvinâs defense attorney, said his clientâs age, lack of previous criminal convictions, and support from relatives supports the request for probation.Â
Prosecutors for the state of Minnesota are pursuing a 30-year sentence for Chauvin, 45, who was found guilty on three charges for the murder of George Floyd. That sentence, prosecutors say, would âproperly account for the profound impact of Defendantâs conduct on the victim, the victimâs family, and the community,â the filing reads, according to a report by NPR. The prosecutors added that Chauvinâs actions on May 25, 2020 âshocked the Nationâs conscience.âÂ
âNo sentence can undo Mr. Floydâ death, and no sentence can undo the trauma Defendantâs actions have inflicted. But the sentence the Court imposes must show that no one is above the law, and no one is below it,â the State prosecutors wrote in the filing. âDefendantâs sentence must hold him fully accountable for his reprehensible conduct.âÂ
Chauvinâs sentence hearing is scheduled for June 25. Following Chauvinâs conviction, Judge Peter Cahill ruled that there were aggravating factors which allows Cahill to sentence Chauvin above the state-recommended range up to an additional 15 years.Â
Chauvin, along with three other officers involved in Floydâs murder all face federal civil rights violation charges. Chauvin also faces multiple counts of tax evasion.Â
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