BLM Wins: Derek Chauvin Found Guilty Of The Murder of George Floyd

On May 25th, 2020, George Floyd was murdered on the streets of America. Since then, American people have advocated for justice for George Floyd through riots and on social media. On April 21st, 2021; almost a year after the murder, it has been established that Derek Chauvin, the police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck, is guilty of the three charges levelled against him.

The case is under trial in the Hennepin County court in Minnesota. Derek Chauvin was removed from the courtroom today after being convicted of first-degree murder, third-degree murder, and first-degree manslaughter. What do these charges mean according to Minnesota laws? Here is information from the Office of the Revisor of Statutes, Minnesota:

“MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE.

(a) Whoever does any of the following is guilty of murder in the first degree and shall be sentenced to imprisonment for life:

(1) causes the death of a human being with premeditation and with intent to effect the death of the person or of another;

(2) causes the death of a human being while committing or attempting to commit criminal sexual conduct in the first or second degree with force or violence, either upon or affecting the person or another;

(3) causes the death of a human being with intent to effect the death of the person or another, while committing or attempting to commit burglary, aggravated robbery, kidnapping, arson in the first or second degree, a drive-by shooting, tampering with a witness in the first degree, escape from custody, or any felony violation of chapter 152 involving the unlawful sale of a controlled substance;

(4) causes the death of a peace officer, prosecuting attorney, judge, or a guard employed at a Minnesota state or local correctional facility, with intent to effect the death of that person or another, while the person is engaged in the performance of official duties;

(5) causes the death of a minor while committing child abuse, when the perpetrator has engaged in a past pattern of child abuse upon a child and the death occurs under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life;

(6) causes the death of a human being while committing domestic abuse, when the perpetrator has engaged in a past pattern of domestic abuse upon the victim or upon another family or household member and the death occurs under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life; or

(7) causes the death of a human being while committing, conspiring to commit, or attempting to commit a felony crime to further terrorism and the death occurs under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life.

MURDER IN THE THIRD DEGREE

(a) Whoever, without intent to effect the death of any person, causes the death of another by perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life, is guilty of murder in the third degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 25 years.

(b) Whoever, without intent to cause death, proximately causes the death of a human being by, directly or indirectly, unlawfully selling, giving away, bartering, delivering, exchanging, distributing, or administering a controlled substance classified in Schedule I or II, is guilty of murder in the third degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 25 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $40,000, or both.

MANSLAUGHTER IN THE SECOND DEGREE

A person who causes the death of another by any of the following means is guilty of manslaughter in the second degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than ten years or to payment of a fine of not more than $20,000, or both:

(1) by the person’s culpable negligence whereby the person creates an unreasonable risk, and consciously takes chances of causing death or great bodily harm to another; or

(2) by shooting another with a firearm or other dangerous weapon as a result of negligently believing the other to be a deer or other animal; or

(3) by setting a spring gun, pitfall, deadfall, snare, or other like dangerous weapon or device; or

(4) by negligently or intentionally permitting any animal, known by the person to have vicious propensities or to have caused great or substantial bodily harm in the past, to run uncontrolled off the owner’s premises, or negligently failing to keep it properly confined; or

(5) by committing or attempting to violate section 609.378 (neglect or endangerment of a child), and murder in the first, second, or third-degree is not committed thereby.

If proven by a preponderance of the evidence, it shall be an affirmative defense to criminal liability under clause (4) that the victim provoked the animal to cause the victim’s death.”

Source: revisor.mn.gov

Earlier, President Biden had expressed optimism by saying he hoped the jury reached “the right verdict”. Joe Biden recalls George Floyd’s final words: “I can’t breathe.”

“We can’t let those words die with him,” Biden says, clasping his hands and leaning down into the microphone.

“We have to keep hearing those words. We must not turn away, we can’t turn away,” he says. “We have a chance to begin to change the trajectory in this country.”

“May God bless you, and may God bless George Floyd and his family.”

Source: BBC

Well-meaning Americans were gathered at the intersection where George Floyd was killed in remembrance of him and to celebrate what they referred to as a “world change”. George Floyd’s own family were both joyous and in tears as they watched Derek Chauvin get convicted of his crimes. This is such a win for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Vice president Kamala Harris in her speech said “No one is above the law, and today’s verdict sends that message, but it is not enough” while calling for extensive police reforms. Derek Chauvin is set to be sentenced in eight weeks. The three other officers who were present at the scene of the crime were charged with aiding and abetting and will be tried in August.