Derek Chauvin was convicted of multiple state criminal charges in the death of George Floyd. He was sentenced to 22.5 years.
Chauvin also faced civil rights federal charges along with three other officers in Floyd’s death, as well as charges related to alleged abuse of a 14 year old during an arrest.
The federal case involving Floyd’s death was scheduled for early 2022, and a state court ruled last month that all the defendants would be tried in a single trial.
Today Chauvin pleaded guilty to the federal charges.
The NY Times reports:
A federal prosecutor said in court that the government had reached a plea deal with Mr. Chauvin under which prosecutors would seek to have him imprisoned for 25 years. That sentence would run concurrently with his state sentence, meaning it would lengthen Mr. Chauvin’s prison term by about two and a half years.Under the proposed sentence and rules about credit for good behavior, the earliest Mr. Chauvin would be released from prison would likely be around 2042, when he would be in his mid-60s. The sentence will ultimately be up to a judge at a later hearing.
When Mr. Chauvin entered the courtroom, wearing an orange jumpsuit, he acknowledged his mother and other family members sitting in court. During the proceedings, Mr. Chauvin answered a series of questions from Judge Paul Magnuson and a prosecutor about the terms of the agreement.
Allen Slaughter, a federal prosecutor in Minnesota, asked Mr. Chauvin: “As Mr. Floyd lay on the ground, handcuffed and unresisting, you kept your knees on Mr. Floyd’s neck and body even after Mr. Floyd became unresponsive, correct?”
“Correct,” Mr. Chauvin responded. He also agreed that his actions had caused Mr. Floyd’s death.
The terms of the plea agreement call for Mr. Chauvin to serve his time in a federal prison, which is generally considered to be safer and could separate Mr. Chauvin from prisoners he may have arrested. The agreement would also prohibit Mr. Chauvin, who was fired from the Minneapolis Police Department one day after Mr. Floyd’s death, from ever working as a police officer again.
You can read the Plea Agreement.
Why would Chauvin plead guilty?
It seems he has given up fighting the state charges, where the system is against him, and if by some chance the conviction was appealed, he simply would be tried again. And again. And again.
This holds out the possibility of serving his time in federal prison, which would be better than state prison.
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