Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will be convicted Thursday of federal civil rights charges for the death of George Floyd.
He had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, but in December 2021 pleaded guilty to violating Floyd’s civil rights and admitted to keeping his knee on Floyd’s neck even after he failed to respond.
Chauvin’s guilty plea calls for a 20- to 25-year sentence.
In April 2021, Chauvin was found guilty of three charges of Floyd’s death: unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, for pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes.
He has already been sentenced to 270 months, less time, equivalent to about 22 and a half years in prison.
Former officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao were also charged with their role in Floyd’s death.
All three had pleaded not guilty but were convicted by a jury.
The four former agents were trying to arrest Floyd on suspicion of using a fake $ 20 bill to buy cigarettes at a convenience store.
Former police officer Derek Chauvin is addressing the court during his conviction for the murder of George Floyd at the Hennepin County Government Center on June 25, 2021, in Minneapolis.
Court TV
During the encounter, Chauvin kept his knee at the back of Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes. Floyd, who was handcuffed and in a prone position on the sidewalk, said repeatedly that he could not breathe before falling unconscious and losing his pulse, according to evidence presented at Chauvin’s state trial. Floyd was later pronounced dead in a hospital.
Thao and Kueng are now awaiting a state trial on charges of aiding and abetting in the murder and of aiding and abetting in the manslaughter at Floyd’s death. Both have pleaded not guilty.
The trial is set to begin on October 24.
Thomas Lane pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in exchange for the dismissal of the main charge against him for aiding and abetting an unintentional second-degree murder.
Under the agreement, both prosecutors and the Lane legal team will recommend a 36-month sentence, or three years in prison. Had he been tried and convicted on both charges, he could have faced a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, according to the guilty plea agreement.