At the end of September, it was reported that Derek Chauvin had filed a motion to appeal his conviction and 22.5 year sentence for the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis back in 2020. Now, the Associated Press have shared that the former police officer is expected to plead guilty to violating the late man’s civil rights.
If he does move forward with this decision, the 45-year-old will not have to go through the often gruelling process of a federal trial, although it could “significantly increase the amount of time he’ll spend behind bars.”
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Tomorrow, Wednesday, December 15th, a hearing will take place where Chauvin is expected to change his prior not-guilty plea. The news was revealed on Monday bu the court’s electronic filing system, and notifications of this manner generally mean that a defendant is planning to plead guilty, although nothing can be confirmed until it’s said and done in the courthouse.
As noted by the Associated Press, Chauvin’s decision could be a good thing for the other officers involved – Thomas Lane, J. Kueng, and Tou Thao – who had previously asked (and were denied) that the court to separate their trials from their colleagues, saying that “his presence would hurt them before a jury.”
If Chauvin pleads guilty, it’s possible that he could be compelled to testify, according to a local defense attorney named Mike Brandt. “[This] could benefit the others if he says he was the veteran officer who made the decision to do what he did.”
Monday’s notice from the electronic filing system has no information regarding the other officer’s plans for their pleas. Check back in with HNHH tomorrow for more updates.
[Via]