Judge to accept plea deal in Derek Chauvin civil rights trial over George Floyd murder
A federal judge is set to accept a plea deal in the civl rights trial against ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd.
Chauvin will be sentenced to 20 to 25 years, in addition to his prior convictions related to Floyd’s streetcorner murder. He had previously pleaded guilty to the federal charges in December 2021.
Chauvin was convicted during a jury trial in April 2021 of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter after the May 25, 2020 death of Floyd.
As part of the plea deal, Chauvin — for the first time — admitted he kept his knee on Floyd’s neck even after he became unresponsive — violating the Black man’s constitutional rights to be free from unreasonable force.
Floyd had allegedly attempted to use a counterfeit bill at a store prior to the encounter with police. While attempting to arrest Floyd, Chauvin pressed his knee into the man’s neck for nearly 10 minutes.
His death sparked worldwide protests against racism and police violence.
“The defendant held his left knee across Mr. Floyd’s neck, back, and shoulder, and his right knee on Mr. Floyd’s back and arm,” the plea agreement reads.
“As Mr. Floyd lay on the ground, handcuffed and unresisting, the defendant kept his knees on Floyd’s neck and body, even after Mr. Floyd became unresponsive. This offense resulted in bodily injury to, and the death of George Floyd.”
Prosecutors in St. Paul, Minn., said they would seek the full 25-year sentence and the judge is bound to a sentence of at least 20 years.
Chauvin faced a life sentence on the federal charge but can be released from federal prison after 17 to 21 years “assuming all good-time credit.”
He was previously sentenced to 22.5 years in June 2021, minus some time served, for the second-degree murder charge (since the charges stemmed from one victim, Floyd, only the most serious charge is sentenced). Prosecutors had sought a 30-year sentence.
While he is appealing that sentence, both the state and federal sentences will be served concurrently. As part of the plea, Chauvin waived his right to appeal the federal conviction.
The federal sentence likely means Chauvin, 46, will spend more time in prison than he would under the state conviction alone. Prisoners in Minnesota usually spend the last third of their sentences on parole, meaning Chauvin would have been released after about 15 years.
U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson has not set a sentencing date for the federal charges and waited until a pre-sentencing report was filed to the court before accepting the plea.
According to prison records, Chauvin is currently a resident of Oak Park Heights Correctional Facility in Stillwater, in the suburbs of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area.
Chauvin’s fellow former police officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lanem, who were also present at the scene, were previously found guilty of violating Floyd’s civil rights in February 2022 and are awaiting sentencing. All three are set to go on trial in Minnesota on charges of aiding and abetting Chauvin in Floyd’s murder. All three rejected plea deals for the state trial and are seeking a new trial after alleging prosecutorial misconduct.
With News Wire Services
