What charges were brought against former officer Derek Chauvin and what was the 2021 trial verdict?

1. The formal charges laid against Chauvin

The Hennepin County prosecutor’s office charged Chauvin with three Minnesota state offenses: second‑degree unintentional murder, third‑degree murder, and second‑degree manslaughter — the statutory framework prosecutors used to pursue criminal liability for George Floyd’s death ^{[1] [4]}. Reporting and legal summaries consistently describe the counts as two murder charges and one manslaughter charge, phrased in various outlets as second‑degree unintentional murder, third‑degree murder, and second‑degree manslaughter ^{[5] [6]}.

2. How the 2021 trial unfolded and what the jury decided

The trial began with opening statements on March 29, 2021 and included weeks of witness testimony, video evidence repeatedly shown to jurors, and expert medical and policing testimony — altogether spanning roughly three weeks and drawing testimony from some 45 witnesses, according to contemporaneous reports ^{[3] [2] [7]}. After closing arguments the jury began deliberating on April 19 and, after about ten hours of deliberation, announced a verdict on April 20, 2021: guilty on all three counts — second‑degree unintentional murder, third‑degree murder and second‑degree manslaughter ^{[3] [6] [4]}.

3. Immediate reaction, significance, and alternative perspectives

News organizations, civil‑rights groups and public officials framed the verdict as legally significant and socially consequential: outlets described it as a milestone in policing accountability and civil‑rights advocates publicly commented on the outcome ^{[2] [8]}. At the same time, some observers cautioned that a single conviction would not erase systemic problems or end racial disparities in policing, a point echoed in international commentary and in analyses noting larger societal issues remain after the verdict ^{[3] [9]}. The defense maintained from the start that Chauvin acted in accordance with his training and pleaded not guilty to the charges, framing the case as a contested interpretation of police tactics and medical causation ^[3].

4. Aftermath: appeals, federal proceedings, and where the record stands

Following the guilty verdict, Chauvin’s legal team pursued appeals contending the trial was unfair and seeking to vacate convictions — motions and appeals that have been reported and litigated in subsequent months and years ^[10]. Separately, Chauvin pleaded guilty in federal court on December 15, 2021 to violating federal civil‑rights statutes for his role in George Floyd’s death and for a separate incident involving a minor, a plea and sentence that were part of the broader post‑trial legal resolution reported by the U.S. Department of Justice ^[11]. The state jury’s 2021 verdict — guilty on all three Minnesota counts — remains the central, well‑documented outcome of the state criminal trial ^{[3] [2]}.