Derek Chauvin Faces Up To 40 Years In Prison, Held In Separate Facility For His Safety

A prison spokesperson told reporters in Minneapolis Tuesday that former police officer Derek Chauvin will be held in a segregated housing unit his sentencing. The spokesperson specified that prison officials made the choice for Chauvin’s safety.

The spokesperson, Sarah Fitzgerald, wrote a letter saying the Chauvin is being held in the Oak Park Heights Correctional Facility. “He is on ‘administrative segregation’ status for his safety,” Fitzgerald told CNN. “Administrative segregation is used when someone’s presence in the general population is a safety concern.”

Chauvin could face up to 40 years in prison after the jury’s verdict delivered Tuesday. But since Chauvin has no criminal record, Minnesota guidelines say that a presumptive sentence for both second-degree and third-degree murder is 12 years and six months.

The prosecution, however, is pursuing even tougher sentencing. In two separate filings in 2020, the prosecution argued that Chauvin displayed aggravating factors that should increase his sentencing. They argue that when Chauvin killed the victim he was vulnerable, treated with cruelty, and that there were children present during the killing.

Judge Peter Cahill has given discretion to deliver sentencing between ten years and 15 years for each of the charges the Minneapolis jury found Chauvin guilty of.