Former Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all charges Tuesday -- including second and third degree murder and manslaughter -- in the May 2020 death of George Floyd.
Chauvin, who pressed his knee into George Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, now faces a maximum of 40-years in prison for second degree murder, 25 years in prison and/or a $40,000 fine for third degree murder, 10-years in prison and up to a $20,000 fine for second-degree manslaughter.
Shouts and cheers were heard from a crowd outside the Hennepin County Courthouse as Chauvin's bond was revoked and he was immediately remanded to jail.
"Painfully earned justice has finally arrived," a Floyd family attorney said in an announcement following the verdict.
Leading up the verdict, jurors asked the court no questions and deliberated for 10 hours. Their decision was reached after a two-week trial and a full day of closing arguments. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher called Chauvin's actions -- placing his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes -- "unnecessary, gratuitous and disproportionate."
"And he did it on purpose. This was not an accident. He did not trip and fall and find himself on George Floyd’s neck," Schleicher said, adding, "Believe your eyes. What you saw, you saw."
Lead defense attorney Eric Nelson urged jurors to take into account "the totality of the circumstances." The defense focused on a theory that Floyd died not from Chauvin's knee, but from a heart condition and illegal use of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
"All of those combined to cause Mr. Floyd's death," said Dr. David Fowler, a forensic pathologist and former Maryland chief medical examiner.
Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak posted a message to social media following the jury's decision:
Security had been tightened in Minneapolis and in major cities across the country leading up the verdict, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.