The Daily Populous Wednesday April 21st, 2021 night edition
Authored by edition.cnn.com and submitted by itsaride

President Biden meets with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Tuesday. Evan Vucci/AP

President Biden was not looking to influence the Derek Chauvin trial with his comments on the expected verdict Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, noting he felt it was appropriate to weigh in on the trial at this moment since the jury is sequestered.

Biden told reporters earlier in the Oval Office in response to a question from CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that he is “praying that the verdict is the right verdict, which is I think it’s overwhelming in my view. I wouldn’t say that unless the jury was sequestered now, not hear me say that.”

Psaki would not specify what Biden viewed as “overwhelming” in the Chauvin trial.

“As he also noted, the jury is sequestered which is why he spoke to this, but I would expect he will weigh in more – further once there is a verdict and I’m not going to provide additional analysis on what he meant,” Psaki said at Tuesday’s White House press briefing.

Asked if there is concern that the President’s words could add to potential unrest in Minneapolis and around the country if the “right verdict” is not reached, Psaki said that regardless of the outcome, Biden has consistently called for peace.

“Our focus, as we’re working with state and local authorities, is on providing the space for peaceful protest and that will be consistent regardless of what the outcome of this, of the verdict is,” she said.

Psaki said Biden is “not looking to influence” the case, which is why he only spoke out when the jury is sequestered, but the President “has been touched on the impact on the family, hence he called the family yesterday and had that discussion.” She reiterated that much of the conversation focused on the loss the Floyd family is dealing with, something the President knows first-hand.

Psaki also said she doesn’t think Biden felt as if he was “weighing in on the verdict,” in his comments, but rather conveying compassion towards the family.

elendinel on April 20th, 2021 at 21:25 UTC »

His buddies on the scene must be sweating right now

Illustrious_Welder94 on April 20th, 2021 at 20:40 UTC »

Live coverage from the courthouse.

Derek Chauvin is facing three charges. Second Degree Murder - Third Degree Murder - Second Degree Manslaughter. Derek Chauvin just showed up at the courthouse to hear the jury’s decision on his fate. The jury members in the Derek Chauvin trial are 7 women and 5 men. 6 are white, 4 are black and 2 are multi-racial. The Congressional Black Caucus will hold a press conference following the verdict in the Chauvin trial, and will be joined by Democratic leadership. Chauvin is in the courtroom with his attorney and jurors have returned.

The verdict for Derek Chauvin is expected to be announced any minute now.

Derek Chauvin GULITY of Second-Degree Murder, Third-Degree Murder, Second-Degree Manslaughter.

The judge has revoked Derek Chauvin's bail. Chauvin has been taken into custody where he will wait for his sentencing.

The Judge says it will be approximately 8 weeks before Derek Chauvin is sentenced for murdering George Floyd. Chauvin had previously waived his right to have the jury decide his sentence.

Chauvin faces up to 40 years in jail.

BetoBob on April 20th, 2021 at 20:03 UTC »

Looks like they will be announcing at 4:30 pm eastern (according to NBC)

Edit: Actually I think they said within the 4:30pm - 5:00pm window

NBC (with commentary, footage outside the courtroom too) PBS (no commentary)

Edit 2: welp, it seems like they pushed it back; sorry folks

Edit 3: Ok it's actually starting now

Third Degree Murder -> Guilty Second Degree Murder -> Guilty Second Degree Manslaughter -> Guilty Guilty of all charges

Source: https://apnews.com/article/derek-chauvin-trial-live-updates-04-20-2021-955a78df9a7a51835ad63afb8ce9b5c1

8 weeks to sentencing bail revoked

Edit 4:

Another important thing. According to several news outlets, Minnesota has a presumptive murder sentence of 12.5 years for first time offenders. And typically 2/3 of that sentence is spent in prison, with the rest on parole. However the maximum sentence is 40 years, and the prosecutors will likely argue for a higher sentence than the presumptive 12.5 years.

> Each count carries a different maximum sentence: 40 years for second-degree unintentional murder, 25 years for third-degree murder, and 10 years for second-degree manslaughter.

> But under Minnesota sentencing guidelines, for a person with no criminal history, each murder charge carries a presumptive sentence of 12 1/2 years in prison, while manslaughter has a presumptive sentence of four years.

> Prosecutors are seeking a sentence that goes above the guideline range. They cited several aggravating factors, including that Floyd was particularly vulnerable, that Chauvin was a uniformed police officer acting in a position of authority, and his alleged crime was witnessed by multiple children — including a 9-year-old girl who testified that watching the restraint made her “sad and kind of mad.”

> Chauvin has waived his right to have a jury decide if aggravating factors exist. So if he is convicted, Judge Peter Cahill will make that decision and would sentence Chauvin at a later date. In Minnesota, defendants typically serve two-thirds of their penalty in prison, with the rest on parole.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/derek-chauvin-trial-charges-716fa235ecf6212f0ee4993110d959df