Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin plans to change his not guilty plea in the federal case against him charging that he used his power of authority to violate George Floyd’s civil rights. Chauvin had pleaded not guilty in September but according to a new court filing on Monday, he will appear in court on Wednesday at 9 am to change his plea.
In April, Chauvin was found guilty by a 12-person jury of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the May 25, 2020, killing of Floyd. His videotaped murder sparked national and international outrage and spurred a movement against police violence and an end to systemic racial injustice.
If Chauvin changes his plea to guilty in the federal case, he will avoid a federal trial. He is currently serving 22.5 years in prison—the longest sentence for a former police officer in recent state history. According to Minnesota law, Chauvin will have to serve two-thirds of his sentence or 15 years to be eligible for supervised release for the remaining seven and a half years.
The other three former officers charged with Floyd’s killing—J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao—await a federal trial slated for January 2022. They also entered not guilty pleas to the federal charges in September. The state trial for the former officers is set for March of 2022.
For more on the Derek Chauvin trial, go here.
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