Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin returns to court this week.
Court documents regarding an upcoming federal case, to determine if George Floyd’s civil rights were violated by him, have recently revealed that the former cop responsible for his death will change his not guilty plea during a hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 15.
Chauvin is accused of depriving Floyd of his legal right to not be a victim of “unreasonable seizure, which includes the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer.”
On May 25, 2020, the ex-officer was filmed kneeling on a handcuffed Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds. As he lay in the street, head inches away from his vehicle’s wheel and gasping his last breaths, Chauvin did not respond to him as he whimpered, “I can’t breathe.”
The three other officers on duty with Chauvin failed to respond also.
They, too, have been fired and indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly depriving the 46-year-old Black man of his rights. The former officers, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, are further charged with failing to stop Chauvin’s unreasonable use of force and not giving Floyd any medical aid.
The federal indictment read, “the defendants saw George Floyd lying on the ground in clear need of medical care, and willfully failed to aid Floyd, thereby acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm to Floyd.”
All have entered a not guilty plea.
According to WCCO, Chauvin’s change of plea has been in the works for six months. A source tells the CBS local affiliate that he will plead guilty to violating Floyd’s civil rights. Chauvin is also expected to take the stand and give his side of the story. This will be the first time that he has spoken publicly about the murder he was convicted of earlier this year.
Reports contend that he will also testify in state and federal trials for the officers who sided with him on that fateful day.
On Tuesday, April 19, Chauvin was convicted of second-and third-degree murder charges as well as second-degree manslaughter for the death of Floyd. For these crimes, he was sentenced to 22.5 years. If convicted for this federal civil rights case, the 45-year-old could be looking at life in prison.
The federal trial is set for late January.
More news from our partners:
Two Friends Left Steady Paychecks, 401(k)s and Bet on Themselves. Today They Run a $1M Business.
