Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin plans to change his not-guilty plea on federal charges that he abused his position of power to violate the civil rights of George Floyd, according to a new court filing Monday.
A grand jury indicted Chauvin — along with former officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao — earlier this year on charges of using the “color of the law” to deprive Floyd of his constitutional rights to be free from the use of unreasonable force.
Chauvin pinned down Floyd with a knee on his neck for more than nine minutes, and the other three did nothing to stop him, the charges say. “This offense resulted in bodily injury to, and the death of George Floyd.”
All four pleaded not guilty to those charges in September. On Monday, the court published a notice that Chauvin will appear at 9 a.m. Wednesday to enter a new plea. His attorney, Eric Nelson, didn’t immediately respond to a call for comment.
In April, Chauvin was convicted of second and third-degree murder and manslaughter in state court. If he pleads guilty to the federal charge, Chauvin could avoid another emotionally charged and highly publicized trial. The other three officers are not scheduled to appear alongside Chauvin at the hearing, meaning they are likely to go forward to a trial, which is on track to begin early next year in St. Paul.
In June, as a state judge sentenced him to 22 1/2 years in prison, Chauvin said he planned to reveal information that he couldn’t talk about due to “additional legal matters at hand,” prompting speculation over a plea deal. He turned toward Floyd’s family and offered condolences. “There’s gonna be some other information in the future that would be of interest, and I hope things will give you some peace of mind,” he said.
Chauvin still faces another federal charge, this one related to a violent arrest of a 14-year-old. In 2017, after responding to a domestic assault call, Chauvin grabbed and repeatedly struck the teen in the head with his flashlight, then used a neck restraint to choke the boy unconscious, the charges say. Chauvin has pleaded not guilty to those charges, and it is unclear if he plans to enter a new plea in this case as well.
If Chauvin does plead guilty, it will be welcome news for the three other defendants. Attorneys for Kueng, Lane and Thao have argued their clients could not receive a fair trial alongside Chauvin. Late last month, a magistrate judge denied the motion to separate Chauvin from the case, saying all four should be tried together.
A state trial for Kueng, Thao and Lane is on the docket for early March, a few weeks after Magnuson’s estimated completion date for the federal trial.
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