Derek Chauvin Pleads Guilty To Violating George Floyd’s Civil Rights

Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted months ago for the murder of George Floyd, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights.

Gatekeepers News reports that Chauvin had previously pleaded not guilty to the federal charges and had faced a potential penalty of life in prison if convicted. His guilty plea has now prevented a trial but will likely extend the time he is already spending behind bars.

The first federal count against Chauvin had alleged he violated Floyd’s right to be free from unreasonable seizure and unreasonable force by a police officer when he kept his knee on Floyd’s neck even after Floyd was unresponsive.

A second count had alleged Chauvin willfully deprived Floyd of liberty without due process, including the right to be free from “deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs”.

Chauvin also pleaded guilty in a separate federal case in which he was accused of violating the civil rights of a teenage boy he arrested in 2017.

“At this time, guilty, your honour,” Chauvin said when asked by US District Judge Paul Magnuson how he pleaded.

Prosecutors recommended a 25-year sentence for Chauvin after he switched his plea and said he would be moved to a federal penitentiary.

Chauvin is currently serving a 22.5-year sentence for murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death last year. He was filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes during an arrest in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, an incident that ignited months of Black Lives Matter protests and calls for racial justice and an end to police violence in the US.

Judge Magnuson said he would hold a sentencing hearing at a later date, where Chauvin and Floyd’s relatives will have a chance to address the court.

Gatekeepers News reports that three other former officers involved in Floyd’s death are still facing state and federal charges.

The ex-officers; Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao face a federal trial in January on charges they deprived Floyd of his constitutional right to be “free from unreasonable seizure”. They also face charges in a state trial due to begin in March that they aided and abetted the killing of Floyd.