Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is serving his 22 and a half year year sentence for killing George Floyd and it appears that being locked up has made him change his plea in several other cases against him.
The rogue police officer was convicted earlier this year on state charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s 2020 death. He’s also charged in federal court with violating Floyd’s civil rights when he knelt on his neck for over nine minutes, as Floyd was face down on the pavement, not resisting and pleading for air.
On Dec. 15, 2021, Chauvin pleaded guilty in federal court to civil rights charges related to the death of George Floyd as well in another federal case in which he was accused of depriving the civil rights of a 14-year-old in Minneapolis in 2017.
“Defendant Chauvin has pleaded guilty to two federal civil rights violations, one of which led to the tragic loss of George Floyd’s life. While recognizing that nothing can repair the harm caused by such acts, the Justice Department is committed to holding accountable those who violate the Constitution, and to safeguarding the civil rights of all Americans,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors requested that Chauvin be sentenced to 300 months in prison, or 25 years. The sentence will run concurrently with his present 22 and a half year sentence. Chauvin will have to serve two-thirds of his sentence, or 15 years, according to Minnesota law. He’ll then be eligible for supervised release for the remaining seven and a half years.
“Today, Derek Chauvin took responsibility and admitted his guilt in open court, under penalty of perjury, for depriving George Floyd and a boy, then just 14 years old, of their civil rights. This is important and historic. His admissions mark another important moment of accountability and another step on the road to justice,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who led the murder case against Chauvin, said in a statement.
