Floyd killing: Judge sets Chauvin bail at $1.25M
Updated 4:08 p.m.
A Hennepin County judge on Monday set bail for Derek Chauvin at $1.25 million without conditions, $1 million with conditions, as the ex-Minneapolis police officer made his first court appearance since being charged with murder in the killing of George Floyd.
Three other ex-officers have been charged with aiding and abetting in Floyd’s death and are being held on $1 million unconditional bail.
Chauvin, who is being held in the state prison at Oak Park Heights, appeared via closed circuit TV in an orange jumpsuit and a mask. He had handcuffs on during the 11-minute hearing.
A judge raised Chauvin’s unconditional bond from $500,000 to $1 million when a second-degree murder charge was added on Wednesday. Monday’s hearing was a chance for arguments over the higher bail. Eric Nelson, his attorney, did not argue with the state asking for bail at that level, but asked for the right to argue that at a future hearing.
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The other three officers — J. Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao — are charged with aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter. They remain in the Hennepin County jail on $750,000 bail. If convicted, they potentially face the same maximum penalty as Chauvin: up to 40 years in prison.
Chauvin's next appearance was set for June 29.
Chauvin was seen on bystander video on May 25 kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, including nearly three minutes while Floyd was unresponsive.
Chauvin was arrested four days later and charged with third-degree murder. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison took over the case and upgraded the charge to second-degree murder last week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Correction (June 8, 2020): A previous version of this story incorrectly stated when Derek Chauvin was seen kneeling on George Floyd’s neck.