Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is being held separately in a Minnesota prison following his conviction for the murder of George Floyd, according to reports.
Following the reading of the verdict in a Hennepin County courtroom Tuesday, Judge Peter Cahill ordered Chauvin’s bail be revoked and he was taken into custody until his sentencing in several weeks. Chauvin had been out on bail since October ahead of the trial.
Chauvin was taken to the Minnesota Correctional Facility Oak Park Heights, which is roughly 25 miles east of Minneapolis near the Wisconsin border.
There, Chauvin was placed in an administrative control unit, according to a Minnesota Department of Corrections spokesperson in an email to CNN. The housing unit is separated from the general population.
"He is on 'administrative segregation' status for his safety," the department spokesperson told CNN. "Administrative segregation is used when someone's presence in the general population is a safety concern."
Cahill said sentencing would take place in eight weeks, however a date has not been set yet. Before the verdict was read, Chauvin agreed to have the judge decide the length of the sentence, rather than a jury.
Chauvin has no prior criminal record, and some legal experts say that fact, combined with the sentencing guidelines in Minnesota for the three charges he was convicted of, could suggest a sentence of around 12-13 years.
State prosecutors are seeking tougher sentences based on aggravating factors. In court filings last year, prosecutors said those factors include Floyd being treated with particular cruelty and children being present when the crimes were committed.
During the trial, juvenile witnesses, one as young as nine at the time of Floyd’s death, testified about what they saw outside the Cup Foods store in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
A pre-sentencing investigation will take place before the judge issues the sentence.
