# Chauvin conviction *Case-record entry on the 2021 Minnesota criminal conviction of Derek Chauvin, and on the Hennepin County Attorney's office, which was displaced from the prosecution.* *State of Minnesota v. Derek Michael Chauvin* was the 2021 state prosecution in which a twelve-member jury convicted former [[Minneapolis Police Department]] officer [[Derek Chauvin]] of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter for the death of George Floyd.[^1] The trial took place at the Hennepin County Government Center in [[Minneapolis]] from March 8 to April 20, 2021.[^1] The trial judge sentenced Chauvin to 22½ years on the second-degree murder count.[^2] The conviction was affirmed on appeal, further state review was denied, and the United States Supreme Court declined to hear the case.[^3] The case enters this record through the county office that did not try it. On May 31, 2020, Governor [[Tim Walz]] placed the prosecution under Attorney General [[Keith Ellison]] in place of [[Hennepin County Attorney]] [[Michael O. Freeman]], whose office was afterward disqualified from the case.[^4] Freeman announced on September 1, 2021 that he would not run again.[^5] The project's at-issue catalogue places that date beside the conviction and a federal investigation of the Minneapolis police. It records the dates as a sequence, not as a cause.[^6] ## Who - **Court.** Hennepin County Judge [[Peter Cahill]] presided. He had been on the bench since 2007 and had earlier served as both a public defender and a prosecutor.[^4] - **Prosecution.** Ellison headed the prosecution and usually attended court, but he did not argue. Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank was lead prosecutor. The team also included [[Jerry W. Blackwell]], who served pro bono, Steven Schleicher, and Erin Eldridge. Hogan Lovells attorneys joined after Neal Katyal offered help with strategy and motions.[^4] - **Defense.** Eric Nelson represented Chauvin. His fees were paid through the Minneapolis Police and Peace Officers Association's legal-services arrangement for members.[^4] - **The displaced office.** The Legislative Reference Library lists Freeman, a DFL officeholder, as serving in the [[Minnesota Senate]] for District 40 from 1982 to 1991.[^7] He held the Hennepin County Attorney's office from January 7, 1991 to January 5, 1999, and again from January 3, 2007 to January 2, 2023.[^5][^8] His office's recorded charging decisions include: - declining to charge in the [[Jamar Clark]] (2016) and Thurman Blevins (2018) deaths; - charging [[Mohamed Noor]] (2018); - charging Chauvin and three other officers (2020).[^5] ## What - **Charges.** Chauvin was taken into custody on May 29, 2020. He was first charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. On June 3, prosecutors amended the complaint to add unintentional second-degree murder, predicated on felony assault.[^9] - **Verdict.** The jury convicted on all three counts: unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.[^1] - **Sentence.** The 22½-year term on the second-degree murder count was ten years above the 12½-year presumptive guideline sentence. The court cited Chauvin's abuse of power and the particular cruelty shown to Floyd. The count carried a statutory maximum of forty years.[^2] - **Appeal.** On appeal, Chauvin's lawyers argued that pretrial publicity and the fortified courthouse made a fair trial impossible, and they sought a new trial at another venue. A three-judge panel of the [[Minnesota Court of Appeals]] rejected those arguments. It held that the force used was excessive and unlawful and that the trial had been fair.[^3] ## When - **May 25, 2020:** Floyd is arrested by four Minneapolis officers, Chauvin among them.[^9] - **May 29, 2020:** Chauvin is arrested and charged.[^9] - **May 31, 2020:** Walz assigns the prosecution to Ellison in place of Freeman.[^4] - **June 3, 2020:** The charges are amended to add second-degree murder.[^9] - **October 7, 2020:** Chauvin is released on conditional bail.[^9] - **February 2021:** Walz deploys the Minnesota National Guard for trial security, at the request of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter.[^10] - **March 8 – April 20, 2021:** Trial.[^1] - **September 1, 2021:** Freeman announces he will not seek re-election.[^5] - **January 2, 2023:** Freeman's term ends, and [[Mary Moriarty]] succeeds him.[^5][^8] - **January 18, 2023:** The appeal is argued before the Court of Appeals.[^3] - **April 17, 2023:** The Court of Appeals affirms the conviction.[^3] - **July 19, 2023:** The [[Minnesota Supreme Court]] denies further review, making the Court of Appeals ruling final.[^3] - **November 20, 2023:** The [[Supreme Court of the United States]] rejects Chauvin's petition for review.[^3] ## How much - **Bond.** Chauvin's conditional release followed the posting of a $1 million bond.[^9] - **Trial security.** In early 2021, Minneapolis and Hennepin County officials spent $1 million on fencing and barricades around government buildings and police stations.[^10] ## In the at-issue record The catalogue carries one at-issue pair on this subject. It appears under two IDs, AI-Hennepin-097 and AI-097, with identical text ([[At issue 097 - Michael Freeman announced his retirement on September 1]]).[^6] The pair states that Freeman announced his retirement "five months after the Chauvin conviction his office was disqualified from, and four months after the Department of Justice opened its pattern-or-practice investigation of the police department his office charged from."[^6] The pair rests on two sources: a clearinghouse.net docket and Wikipedia. The pack does not carry a Department of Justice document fixing the date the investigation opened. The record shows the order of these dates. It does not establish why Freeman announced when he did.[^6] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Trial of Derek Chauvin* (revision 1371975246, retrieved 2026-10-27) — case caption, court, venue, trial dates (March 8 – April 20, 2021), twelve-member jury and the three counts of conviction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Derek_Chauvin [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Trial of Derek Chauvin* (revision 1371975246) — sentence of 22½ years against a 12½-year presumptive guideline sentence, the stated grounds for the departure, and the forty-year maximum. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Derek_Chauvin [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Trial of Derek Chauvin*, "Appeal" section (revision 1371975246) — argument on January 18, 2023; Court of Appeals opinion of April 17, 2023; Minnesota Supreme Court order of July 19, 2023; U.S. Supreme Court denial of November 20, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Derek_Chauvin [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *Trial of Derek Chauvin*, "Judge and attorneys" section (revision 1371975246) — Walz's announcement of May 31, 2020; Freeman's later disqualification; the judge, the prosecution team and defense counsel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Derek_Chauvin [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *Michael O. Freeman* (as cited in Freeman Apex Dossier §III.b, 2026-09-02) — Hennepin County Attorney terms; the September 1, 2021 announcement; succession by Mary Moriarty; recorded charging decisions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O._Freeman [^6]: Minnesota wiki project, *At-issue pair AI-Hennepin-097 / AI-097* (catalogue row, citing Freeman Apex Dossier §III.b, 2026-09-02; listed sources a clearinghouse.net docket and Wikipedia) — states the September 1, 2021 announcement as a sequence relative to the conviction and the Department of Justice investigation; the retirement date is cited to the Wikipedia biography. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O._Freeman [^7]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, *Legislators Past & Present: Michael O. Freeman* (record id 10197) — Minnesota Senate service, District 40, 1982–1991 (as listed in Freeman Apex Dossier footnote 14). https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=10197 [^8]: Minnesota Historical Society, *Finding aid, collection 00531* (as listed in Freeman Apex Dossier footnote 14) — cited by the dossier for Freeman's Hennepin County Attorney terms of 1991–1999 and 2007–2023. https://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00531.xml [^9]: Wikipedia contributors, *Trial of Derek Chauvin*, "Background" section (revision 1371975246) — the May 25, 2020 arrest of Floyd; Chauvin's arrest and initial charges on May 29, 2020; the June 3 amendment; release on a $1 million bond on October 7, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Derek_Chauvin [^10]: Wikipedia contributors, *Trial of Derek Chauvin*, "Reactions" section (revision 1371975246) — $1 million in fencing and barricades in early 2021; the February 2021 National Guard deployment at the mayors' request. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Derek_Chauvin