Bail Of Derek Chauvin, Ex-Officer Charged With Murder Of George Floyd, Increased From $500k To $1.25 Million
Former Minneapolis officer, Derek Chauvin, charged with the murder of George Floyd has made his first court appearance where his bail was increased from $500,000 to $1.25 million during a hearing on Monday.
Prosecutors cited the ‘severity of the charges’ and public outrage as the reason for upping Derek’s bail.
Chauvin has been behind bars since his arrest on May 29 following Floyd’s death which has sparked protests against police brutality and racial inequality all over the world through Black Lives Matter demonstrations.
The suspect is charged with second-degree manslaughter and second-degree murder.
Chauvin could face up to 40 years imprisonment due to the severity of his charges.
Three other arrested officers in connecting to Floyd’s death have also been charged with aiding and abetting murder.
During his appearance in court, Chauvin, did not enter a plea nor did he speak during the 15-minute hearing.
Judge Jeannice M Reding set a bail of $1.25m with no preconditions, or $1m with conditions that include Chauvin not contacting Floyd’s family, surrendering his firearms and not working in law enforcement or security as he awaits trial.
The bail set for Chauvin is higher than the bail of at least $750,000 given last week to the other three officers – Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao.
All four men were fired the day after Floyd died when Chauvin restrained the deceased by the neck with his knee for almost 9 minutes.
Chauvin’s lawyer did not object to the bail price.
He is currently being held at the Minnesota state prison in Oak Park Heights, after being transferred several times and his next court appearance is set for June 29.
