Update 05/14/2021 12:01pm:
On April 20, Derek Chauvin was convicted for the murder of George Floyd, and his sentencing was set for June 25, 2021. It was noted that the other 3 ex-officers involved in the incident—Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao, are currently awaiting trial for their part in the murder.
Since then, it was revealed that ex-cops are facing an additional federal charge on top of a state trial. Initially, the trial for the three men was supposed to take place in August 2021 but has now been postponed to March 2022.
Judge Peter Cahill spoke on the move, saying the three ex-cops deserve “space” from all the media attention that will follow Derek Chauvin’s sentencing. The judge also suggested the federal cases be completed before a state trial for the officers start. Stay tuned for more updates.
source: NY Daily News
Original 05/07/2021 11:23am:
Previously, it was revealed that the lawyer for convicted murderer Derek Chauvin is seeking a new trial, saying that Chauvin’s constitutional rights were compromised many times during the initial trial proceedings. Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in connection with the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Now, reports surfaced noting the four former police officers involved in Floyd’s death are now being indicted by a federal grand jury.
The indictment says Chauvin deprived Floyd of the right to be free of “unreasonable seizure, which includes the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer.” The other officers—J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were charged for failing to intervene in Chauvin’s use of unreasonable force, according to the indictment.
Along with that, the three officers and former cop Thomas Lane were charged with failing to give Floyd medical aid. The indictment said, “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."
Lane, Kueng, and Thao have pleaded not guilty to charges against them, including aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter and aiding and abetting second-degree murder. The joint trial for all the cops is expected to take place this summer.
source: NBC News
