Derek Chauvin’s mother fears she will be dead before he gets out of prison

'When you sentence my son, you will also be sentencing me'

Derek Chauvin's mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, spoke of her fears that she will be dead before her son is released from prison. In a statement at the sentencing hearing, Ms Pawlenty said her son's portrayal in court and in the media is 'far from the truth'. She said, while 'speaking on behalf of my entire family', that Chauvin is a 'good man'. She said:

Derek devoted 19 years of his life to the Minneapolis Police Department. It has been difficult for me to hear... the media, public and prosecution team believe Derek to be an aggressive, heartless and uncaring person. I can tell you that is far from the truth. My son's identity has also been reduced to that... as a racist. I want this court to know that none of these things are true and that my son is a good man.

Chauvin has been sentenced to 22-and-a-half years for the murder of George Floyd, which sparked international outrage and protests after footage of the killing went viral on social media. Mr Floyd died after Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes during an arrest. Chauvin's mother said:

I will not be able to see Derek, talk to him on the phone or give him a special hug. Plus the fact that when he is released, is father and I most likely will not be here.

Ms Pawlenty then went on to address Chauvin directly, saying 'I want you to remember, you are my favourite son.' This testimony followed victim impact statements from George Floyd's family, including his 7-year-old daughter Gianna. She said:

We used to have dinner every single night before we went to bed. My daddy always used to help me brush my teeth.

She said that if she could speak to her father again, she would tell him: 'I miss you and I love you.'