Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 21 years in prison for violating George Floyd’s civil rights.
Chauvin will serve a federal sentence at the same time he serves his 22-and-a-half year sentence on state murder and manslaughter charges.
The former police officer pinned George Floyd to the sidewalk outside a Minneapolis corner store for more than 9 minutes when he died on May 25, 2020.
Chauvin was told by US judge Paul Magnuson what he did was “simply wrong” and “offensive”.
“I really don’t know why you did what you did,” Mr. Magnuson said.
George Floyd’s death sparked global protests
“Leaving your knee on a person’s neck until they expire is simply wrong.”
Floyd’s brother Philonise also asked for the maximum possible sentence.
“My family and I were sentenced to life in prison,” he said.
“We will never get George’s life back.”
Federal prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Chauvin to 25 years in prison.
Chauvin initially pleaded not guilty to the federal charges, but changed his plea in December.
Chauvin’s attorney Eric Nelson has been asking for 20 years, arguing that he regrets it.
However, he did not directly apologize or express remorse to Floyd’s family in court.
Instead, he told the family that he wished Floyd’s children “all the best in their lives” and that they had “great guidance to be good adults”.
Chauvin admitted for the first time that he kept his knee on Floyd’s neck, even as he said he couldn’t breathe.
The murder has sparked protests against racism and police brutality around the world.
Mr. Magnuson has not set a sentencing date for the three other officers present at the scene – Tou Thao, J. Alexander Keung and Thomas Lane – who were convicted in February of federal civil rights crimes.
