ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) – A judge overseeing the federal civil rights cases of four former Minneapolis police officers in the murder of George Floyd said Wednesday that he has accepted the terms of Derek Chauvin’s plea agreement and will sentence him to 20 up to 25 years in prison.
Schoven pleaded guilty on December 15 to violating Floyd’s civil rights, admitting for the first time that he kept his knee on Floyd’s neck – even after he did not react – as a result of Black’s death on May 25, 2020. The white former officer admitted that he deliberately deprived Floyd of his right to be released from unreasonable detention, including unreasonable force by a police officer.
Under the plea agreement that Chauvin signed, both sides agreed that Chauvin should receive a sentence of 20 to 25 years, with prosecutors saying they would seek 25. He could face life in prison on federal charges. Recognizing the good times in the federal system, he would serve from 17 to 21 years and three months behind bars.
U.S. District Judge Paul Magnusson postponed the adoption of the agreement until the investigation into the presence is completed. He said in a one-page order Wednesday that the report had been issued, so it was now appropriate to accept the deal. He has not set a date for Shaven’s sentence.
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Chauvin has already served a sentence of 22 1/2 years for his murder sentence in state court last year, although he is appealing the sentence. He will serve the federal sentence at the same time as the state sentence.
The federal plea agreement means Chauvin is likely to spend more time in prison than he faces a state sentence. Minnesota state inmates usually serve one-third of their suspended sentences, which would mean 15 years in prison.
Chauvin relinquished his right to challenge his federal conviction if Magnuson accepted the plea agreement.
Magnuson also did not set a sentencing date for three other former officers who were convicted on related federal civil rights charges in February. Investigations into the presence of Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng are still ongoing. They are due to stand trial next month in state court on charges of aiding and abetting Chauvin in Floyd’s murder.
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Prosecutors revealed at a pre-trial hearing last month that the three had rejected plea agreements on state charges. The conditions were not disclosed. Lane’s lawyer, Earl Gray, said it was difficult for the defense to negotiate when the three still did not know what their federal sentences would be.
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