Thao was specifically convicted then of depriving Floyd of his right to medical care and of failing to intervene and stop Chauvin. When he rejected a plea deal in state court last August, he said “it would be lying” to plead guilty.Ĭahill based his decision on exhibits and transcripts from Chauvin’s murder trial, which he presided over, and the federal civil rights trial of Thao, Kueng and Lane. Unlike the other three former officers, Thao maintained he did nothing wrong. Minnesota guidelines recommend four years on the manslaughter count, which Thao would serve concurrently with his 3 1/2-year federal sentence. With each of these measures of justice, it is even more so demonstrated that police brutality is an illegal - and punishable - act,” civil rights attorney Ben Crump and his team said in a statement. “Nearly three years after George was killed, the family and Minneapolis community continue to heal as the criminal justice system prevails. Lawyers for the Floyd family called the verdict "another measure of accountability for his death." “There is much more that prosecutors, law-enforcement leaders, rank-and-file officers, elected officials, and community can do to bring about true justice in law enforcement and true trust and safety in all communities.”ĭefense attorney Robert Paule did not immediately return messages seeking comment. “While we have now reached the end of the prosecution of Floyd’s murder, it is not behind us.” Ellison said. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who led the prosecution team, said Thao's conviction “brings one more measure of accountability in the tragic death of George Floyd” while calling on Congress to enact a sweeping police overhaul named for Floyd. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane - pleaded guilty to state charges of aiding and abetting manslaughter and were convicted with Thao in their federal case. The killing, captured on bystander video, touched off protests around the world and prompted a national reckoning with police brutality and racism.Ĭhauvin, the senior officer at the scene, was convicted of murder and manslaughter in April 2021 and later pleaded guilty in the federal case. “There is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Thao's actions were objectively unreasonable from the perspective of a reasonable police officer, when viewed under the totality of the circumstances,” Cahill wrote in a 177-page ruling that was filed Monday night and released Tuesday.įloyd, a Black man, died May 25, 2020, after officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, pinned him to the ground with his knee on Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes as he pleaded for air. He rejected a plea agreement and, instead of going to trial, let Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill decide the verdict based on written filings by each side and evidence presented in previous cases. Tou Thao, who already had been convicted in federal court of violating Floyd’s civil rights, was the last of four former officers facing judgment in state court in Floyd’s killing. MINNEAPOLIS – A former Minneapolis police officer who held back bystanders while his colleagues restrained a dying George Floyd has been convicted of aiding and abetting manslaughter.
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