Despite being found guilty by a jury of three counts, Derek Chauvin was convicted and sentenced on only one count

To understand why that is, it is important to understand the nomenclature used in a criminal trial proceeding. When a jury finds someone guilty of a criminal offense, we call that a “verdict.” It is NOT yet a conviction. It is only when a judge enters a judgment of conviction that the person is “convicted” of the offense. Criminal defendants receive a sentence for their convictions.

In an earlier post, I explained how double jeopardy would likely apply to Derek Chauvin’s case. Yesterday, Chauvin received one sentence — 22.5 years — for a single conviction for unintentional second-degree murder while committing a felony. The other two offenses for which the jury found Chauvin guilty were lesser-included offenses and, consequently, left “unadjudicated.” In other words, the court did not enter a judgment of conviction for those offenses.