Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pleads guilty in federal case

KSTP

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In court Wednesday, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pleaded guilty in a federal civil rights case.

The federal charges included two counts alleging that Chauvin deprived George Floyd of his rights by kneeling on his neck as he was handcuffed and not resisting, and then failing to provide medical care.

Chauvin’s plea Wednesday means he will not face a federal trial in January, though he could end up spending more years behind bars when a judge sentences him at a later date.

KSTP Reporter Eric Chaloux, who is inside the federal courthouse in St. Paul, reports the judge then questioned Chauvin after the signing. The judge said if Chauvin didn’t sign the plea agreement, he could have possibly faced life in prison if convicted.

Part of the plea deal consisted of prosecutors asking the judge for a sentence of 240-300 months in prison.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin appears in court Dec. 15, 2021.[courtesy of Cedric Hohnstadt]

In Minnesota, defendants with good behavior serve two-thirds of their sentence in prison, and the remaining one-third on supervised release, also known as parole. Under that formula, Chauvin is expected to serve 15 years in prison on the state charges, and 7 1/2 years on parole.

Under sentencing guidelines, Chauvin could get a federal penalty ranging from 27 years to more than 33 years in prison, with credit for taking responsibility, said Mark Osler, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. But the guidelines are not mandatory, and Osler estimated Chauvin would be sentenced toward the lower end of the range.

As part of the plea deal, Chauvin also pleaded guilty to violating the rights of a then-14-year-old boy during a 2017 arrest in which he held the boy by the throat, hit him in the head with a flashlight and held his knee on the boy’s neck and upper back while he was prone, handcuffed and not resisting.

Three other former officers — Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao — were indicted on federal charges alongside Chauvin earlier this year. Lane, Kueng and Thao are charged with depriving Floyd of his liberty without due process of law. Kueng and Thao are also charged with denying Floyd’s right of freedom from an unreasonable seizure.

In September, they all pleaded not guilty in their federal civil rights case.

Those former officers are still on course for trial early next year on those charges, with a state trial still to come.

According to the courtroom pool reporter, Chauvin waved at his family and friends gathered as he left the courtroom. His attorney, Eric Nelson, reportedly told Chauvin, "Derek, I’ll come see you."

Nelson declined to comment on the case.

In addition to the nine people with Chauvin in court, there were also members of Floyd’s family. For the Floyd family, brothers Philonise Floyd, Terrance Floyd and Rodney Floyd as well as nephew Brandon Williams were all together. Civil attorney Jeff Storms was also in the courtroom.

Floyd’s girlfriend, Courtney Ross, was there as well.

"Defendant Chauvin has pleaded guilty to two federal civil rights violations, one of which led to the tragic loss of George Floyd’s life," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "While recognizing that nothing can repair the harm caused by such acts, the Justice Department is committed to holidng accountable those who violate the Constitution, and to safeguarding the civil rights of all Americans."

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.