By Steve Karnowski
Associated Press
The judge overseeing the civil rights violation trial against four former Minneapolis police officers for the murder of George Floyd accepted the terms of former officer Derek Chauvin's plea deal on Wednesday, and is expected to sentence him to between 20 and 25 years in prison. .
Chauvin 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 became unresponsive), leading to his death on May 25, 2020. .
The former officer admitted that he intentionally deprived Floyd of his right to be free from unreasonable arrests, including excessive force by a police officer.
Under the plea agreement, which Chauvin signed, both parties agreed that he should face a sentence of between 20 and 25 years;
prosecutors said they will ask for 25. He could have faced life in prison on this federal charge.
With good behavior credit in the federal system, he could potentially serve between 17 and 21 years and three months behind bars.
Chauvin addresses the court on June 25, 2021. AP
Judge Paul Magnuson deferred accepting the settlement until the sentencing investigation was complete.
On Wednesday, in a one-page order, he said the report had been issued, so it was now appropriate to accept the settlement.
It has not set a sentencing date for Chauvin.
Chauvin is already serving a 22 1/2-year sentence for murder issued by a state court in 2021, but has appealed that conviction.
He will serve both sentences at the same time.
[Screamed 12 times that he could not breathe: a father denounces that his son was killed like George Floyd]
The federal settlement means Chauvin will likely spend more time in prison than he was entitled to under the state sentence.
In Minnesota, state prisoners typically serve a third of their sentence on parole, in this case about 15 years.
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Chauvin waived his right to challenge his federal conviction if Magnuson accepted the plea deal.
Magnuson also has not set sentencing dates for three other former officers who were convicted of federal civil rights charges in February.
Investigations into Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng are ongoing.
They are scheduled to go on trial next month in state court on charges of complicity in Floyd's murder.
Prosecutors revealed at a pretrial hearing last month that all three had rejected plea deals on the state charges.
Terms were not disclosed.
Lane's attorney, 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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