A Minnesota judge announced that there were aggravating factors in the murder of George Floyd, allowing the state to sentence former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to a longer prison term for the killing, the Associated Press reports.
Judge Peter Cahill determined that Chauvin acted with cruelty in his attack on Floyd and that Chauvin abused his position as a police officer. Minnesota law allows for stricter sentences for crimes when extenuating circumstances are identified.
Chauvin was convicted of two counts of murder and one of manslaughter in the homicide of George Floyd, a Black man on whose neck and back Chauvin, a white police officer, kneeled on for more than nine minutes, causing him to die of asphyxiation.
The judge could sentence Chauvin to up to 40 years, although legal experts watching the case believe Chauvin will be sentenced to around 30 years.