George Floyd's murderer has been sentenced to 22 years and six months behind bars.
Former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin blinked and frowned from under his mask as he was told he would spend 270 months behind bars on Friday after his bid to seek a fresh trial failed.
There were scenes of anger and dismay from some outside the Minneapolis courtroom on Friday as they reacted to the sentence falling short of the 30-year jail term prosecutors had sought.
The court had heard from Floyd's seven-year-old daughter 7-year-old Gianna who told the judge via video how she missed her daddy who used to help her brush her teeth.
Chauvin, 45, was found guilty of murdering Floyd by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes during an arrest in the city last May.
He was helping arrest Floyd on suspicion of using a fake $20 bill at a grocery store.
Floyd's death sparked protests around the world, and the guilty verdict in the trial was widely seen as a watershed moment in the history of US policing.
A jury found Chauvin guilty on April 20 of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Chauvin was handed more years than legal guidelines due to aggravating factors but less than the maximum 40 years he could have received.
Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year prison sentence, double the upper limit indicated in sentencing guidelines for a first-time offender.
The judge issued a 22-page explanation of his ruling.
Speaking outside court after the sentence was handed down, Floyd’s girlfriend Courtney Ross told reporters she was disappointed by the sentence, but that the fight for justice would continue “for the greater good.”
“I’m shocked that it wasn’t a longer sentence but it is the beginning,” she said, adding: “It’s a little disappointing.”
Chauvin's lawyer argued that he was deprived of a fair trial because of prosecutorial and jury misconduct and errors of law at trial.
Through his attorney Eric Nelson, Chauvin asked the judge to sentence him to probation, writing that the murder of Floyd was "best described as an error made in good faith."
But Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill denied his request for a new trial in an order on Friday morning ahead of sentencing.
Video shot by a teenage bystander of Chauvin, who is white, kneeling on the neck of Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old black man in handcuffs, sparked outrage around the world.
The call for justice for George Floyd became a rallying cry for Black Lives Matter demonstrations around the world as protesters demanded police be held to account.
Jubilant scenes had erupted in Minneapolis as Chauvin was found guilty in April as the city reacted to the milestone.
The three other sacked police officers involved in the arrest are due to face trial next year on charges of aiding and abetting Floyd's murder.
"I ask about him all the time," she said in the video as Chauvin sat before the judge dressed in a grey suit and tie, a blue mask covering his nose and mouth.
"My daddy always used to help me brush my teeth."
Asked what she would say to him if she could see him again, she said: "It would be I miss you and I love you."
