Judge won't change Derek Chauvin sentencing memo regarding child witnesses

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill said Tuesday he will not amend his sentencing order for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in regards to children at the scene of George Floyd's murder.

Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison last month for the murder of George Floyd, an upward departure for the state’s sentencing guidelines for second-degree murder, the most serious of the charges he was convicted of. After handing down Chauvin’s sentence, Cahill issued a 22-page sentencing memorandum explaining his decision, including why he did not find that the crime happened in front of children to be an aggravating factor in the case.

George Floyd's death: Judge sentences Derek Chauvin to 22.5 years in prison

Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and half years behind bars on Friday for the murder of George Floyd in 2020, an upwards departure from the sentencing guidelines.

Last week, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a letter with the court explaining he was unhappy with Cahill's findings regarding the trauma the four young girls who witnessed Floyd's murder experienced. He asked Cahill to revise the memo to avoid sending the message that "the pain these young women endured is not real or does not matter."

Cahill denied Ellison's request.

Ellison did not ask Cahill to change Chauvin's sentence.