UPDATE: On Friday, June 25, 2021, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 270 months, or 22.5 years, in prison for the murder of George Floyd by Judge Peter Cahill, with a credit for 199 days of time served.
Cahill said he has included a 22-page memo with Chauvin's sentence that contains his legal analysis.
Following sentencing, Cahill says Chauvin cannot possess a firearm for the rest of his life and he must register as a "predatory offender."
Prior to the sentencing, Cahill denied Chauvin's motion for a new trial.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted by a jury Tuesday on all three counts, two charges of murder and one charge of manslaughter, in the death of George Floyd. Following the conviction, Chauvin’s bail was revoked by the judge and he was taken into custody as he awaits sentencing in June.
VERIFY viewer Brenda asked whether Derek Chauvin is receiving security protection now.
THE QUESTION
Is Derek Chauvin receiving security protection before he is sentenced?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
Yes, Derek Chauvin is being held in a maximum security prison in solitary confinement for his safety while he awaits sentencing.
WHAT WE FOUND
According to the Minnesota Department of Corrections, Derek Chauvin is being held at the state’s only maximum security prison, Minnesota Correctional Facility - Oak Park Heights, where he was booked Tuesday, April 20 at 4:55 p.m.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections says he is on “administrative segregation” status for his safety and is being housed in the Administrative Control Unit, or AUC, which is the state’s most secure unit.
“Administrative segregation is used when someone’s presence in the general population is a safety concern,” a Minnesota Department of Corrections spokesperson wrote in an email. “There are 41 people in the ACU and cells are monitored by cameras with corrections officers also doing rounds at least every 30 minutes. He’ll have on average an hour a day out of his cell for exercise (alone). Meals are delivered to his cell.”
The spokesperson said Chauvin is in a single cell and he will not have contact with other incarcerated people. The prison is currently housing 349 individuals.
Days prior to Chauvin’s arrest on May 29, 2020, news reports stated protesters gathered outside of the former officer’s home in Oakdale, Minn., which led to the arrest of at least six people, and at another home in Florida that was reportedly owned by Chauvin.
On Oct. 7, 2020, court documents show Chauvin was released from the Oak Park Heights prison facility after posting a $1 million cash bond while awaiting trial. That same day, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz activated the state National Guard, 100 state troopers and mobilized 75 conservation officers with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to assist local law enforcement in the Minneapolis area following Chauvin’s pretrial release.
"Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of Minnesotans, we have asked the Minnesota National Guard to prepare to assist in keeping the peace," Gov. Walz said in a statement.
An order amending conditions of release on Oct. 8, 2020, shows the Minnesota Department of Corrections provided the court with camera evidence that detailed safety concerns following Chauvin’s pretrial release from custody. The document states that Chauvin’s permanent address was released internally and kept confidential, and was only to be shared on a “need-to-know” basis.
