Derek Chauvin sentencing trial – live: Former Minneapolis police office to be sentenced in murder of George Floyd

George Floyd’s cousin Tera Brown has said ahead of the sentencing of Derek Chauvin that they are hoping the former police officer will receive the “maximum sentence”.

“We’ve been anxiously awaiting this day, and I fully expect that today will be a very emotional day for us. We’re wanting to see him get the maximum sentence,” she said on CNN’s New Day.

Several people interviewed in Minneapolis in the days before Derek Chauvin’s sentencing have said they want to see a tough sentence for the former police officer.

The arrest and trial of Chauvin created an intensely volatile atmosphere in Minneapolis, where Floyd was killed, as the city saw consecutive days of protests and riots following the man’s murder.

Ahead of the sentencing, the concrete barricades, razor wire and National Guard patrols that surrounded the county courthouse amid the trial in anticipation of community disturbance are gone.

Authorities had predicted an uproar if Chauvin walked free, but after he was found guilty on all counts much of the tension in the city settled.

However, many residents are holding out for a tough verdict against the 45-year-old, the Associated Press reports.

Thirty years “doesn’t seem like long enough to me,” Andrew Harer, a retail worker who is white said, referencing the maximum predicted sentence Chauvin could face.

He added: “I would be fine if he was in jail for the rest of his life.”

Joseph Allen, 31, who is Black, said he thinks Chauvin should receive “at least” 30 years and said he’d prefer a life sentence.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and activist, called for Chauvin to be sentenced “to the fullest extent of the law.”

She called Floyd’s death “a modern day lynching” and predicted community outrage if Chauvin is sentenced lightly.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that he has directed a Hate Crimes Task Force to investigate the vandalisation of a George Floyd monument unveiled on Juneteenth.

The monument was defaced ahead of the sentencing of Derek Chauvin on Friday by a white supremacist hate group.

“To the group of neo-Nazis who did this, I want to be absolutely clear: get the hell out of our state,” New York governor Andrew Cuomo said in a post on Twitter.

Derek Chauvin will have the chance to make a statement during his sentencing on Friday, but legal experts have predicted it is not clear if will choose to speak.

The ex-police officer refused to testify during the trial itself and experts predict it could be tricky for Chauvin to talk without implicating himself in the pending federal case against him.

After Chauvin invoked the 5th Amendment in court in Minneapolis, jurors were required to instead interpret video clips and other evidence to inform their opinion of Chauvin’s mindset on the day of Floyd’s death.

“We got to control this guy ‘cause he’s a sizable guy … and it looks like he’s probably on something,” Chauvin said on 25 May in one of the only explanations that he has given.

Several experts said they doubted that Chauvin would take the risk and speak, but Brandt thought he would.

“I think it’s his chance to tell the world, ‘I didn’t intend to kill him,”’ Mike Brandt, a local defense attorney who as closely been following the case, said.

He added: “If I was him, I think I would want to try and let people know that I’m not a monster.”

Reporting by the Associated Press

After Derek Chauvin was convicted of the murder of George Floyd, he had his bail revoked by Judge Pete Cahill and was transported to the state’s only maximum security prison, in Oak Park Heights.

Undated photos provided by the Minnesota Department of Corrections have given an insight into a cell similar to Chavin’s at the Oak Park Heights facility where he has been held since April.

The 10-by10 foot bare cell features a metal toilet alongside minimal living fixtures and intense security measures.

Chauvin is held away from the general population for his safety due to the high profile nature of his arrest. He is allowed out for solitary exercise for an hour a day.

Derek Chauvin could be set to face decades in prison ahead of his sentencing on Friday with several legal experts predicting a sentence of 20 to 25 years.

Danielle Zoellner explains the ins and outs of the complex sentencing guidelines in Minneapolis below:

Derek Chauvin’s sentencing is taking place two months after he was convicted of the murder of George Floyd and had initially been scheduled for 16 June before it was pushed back in April.

Since his conviction, Chauvin has been held at the state’s only maximum security prison, in Oak Park Heights.

The former officer is held away from the general population for his safety, in a 10-by-10-foot cell, with meals brought to his room. He is allowed out for solitary exercise for an hour a day.

It’s not clear if Chauvin will remain there after learning his sentencing. State prison officials said that decision wouldn’t be made until after Judge Peter Cahill’s formal sentencing order.

Reporting by the Associated Press

Derek Chauvin was convicted of all three charges he faced at trial: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter.

The unanimous decision came after 15 days of emotional court testimony. The jury deliberated for about 10 hours before coming to their conclusion.

Chauvin was recorded kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while he pleaded for air and eventually lost consciousness in a now-infamous bystander video, sparking global outrage.