Fargo attorney reacts to Chauvin sentence

FARGO (KVRR) – A prominent Fargo defense attorney says Derek Chauvin’s 22-and-a-half-year sentence is a bit more than he expected.

Mark Friese of the Vogel Law Firm says the sentence imposed on Chauvin is longer than the overwhelming majority of similar cases.  He noted that former Minneapolis Police Officer Mohamed Noor was sentenced to 12-1/2 years for the shooting death of Justine Damond.

But Friese says the huge backlash following the death of George Floyd clearly had an effect on Judge Peter Cahill’s decision.

“The community sentiment, the riots, the discourse, all of that combined. It can’t be ignored” Friese said.

“Judges are humans as well. They don’t live in a bubble. They’re going to be influenced by their surroundings. And that’s a very difficult task for anyone in the judge’s position to do.”

Friese says because Minnesota law requires inmates to serve at least two-thirds of their sentence, Chauvin could be released after just 15 years.

Chauvin still faces federal civil rights charges.