Monday hearing set for 2 ex-cops in George Floyd's killing
A judge has scheduled a hearing for Monday on the “status of plea negotiations” for the two remaining officers awaiting trial on state charges in the killing of George Floyd
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A judge scheduled a hearing for Monday on the “status of plea negotiations” for the two remaining officers awaiting trial on state charges in the killing of George Floyd, with the hearing coming after the judge's window for accepting any deal appears to have closed.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill said in previous orders that he would not accept plea agreements unless they came within a 15-day window after former Officers Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng were sentenced in federal court on separate civil rights charges. Those sentences came down July 27. His orders did not specify business days or calendar days.
Court spokesman Matt Lehman said only that Monday's scheduled 9 a.m. hearing was “to discuss the status of plea negotiations.”
The Minnesota attorney general's office had no comment on the nature of the hearing. Thao’s attorney, Bob Paule, and Kueng's attorney, Thomas Plunkett, did not immediately return phone messages.
The trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 24, with opening statements Nov. 7.
Thao and Lane are charged with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death. Former Officer Thomas Lane pleaded guilty in May to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in a deal that calls for a three-year sentence. His sentencing is Sept. 21.
Thao, Kueng and Lane were working with then-Officer Derek Chauvin when he pinned Floyd’s neck with his knee for more than nine minutes as the 46-year-old Black man said he couldn’t breathe and eventually grew still. The killing, captured in bystander video, sparked protests worldwide and a reckoning on racial injustice. Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder last year and sentenced to 22 1/2 years on the state charge.
The four have already been sentenced on the separate federal civil rights charges, ranging from 21 years for Chauvin to 3 1/2 years for Thao, 3 years for Kueng and 2 1/2 years for Lane. Chauvin remains in the state's maximum security prison at Oak Park Heights pending his transfer to federal prison. The other three remain free on bail.
___
Associated Press writer Amy Forliti contributed to this story.
___
Find AP’s full coverage of the killing of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd