Report: Derek Chauvin Nearing Plea Deal That Would Mitigate Prison Time

By Johnathan Jones June 29, 2021 at 4:11pm

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is nearing a plea deal to help reduce his time spent behind bars as he still faces federal charges over the death of George Floyd, according to a report.

Chauvin was convicted by a Minnesota jury in the death of Floyd in April on three counts. The conviction came 11 months after he and other officers attempted to arrest Floyd, who had been accused of attempting to pass a counterfeit bill.

Last week, the former cop was sentenced to 22 and a half years in state prison.

According to WCCO-TV, Chauvin made comments before his sentencing that hinted he was working to resolve federal charges.

“Due to legal matters, I’m not able to give a full formal statement,” he told the court. “I give my condolences to the Floyd family, there’s going to be some other information in the future that will be of interest and I hope these will give you some peace of mind.”

The outlet reported Monday the comments were likely a reference to a plea deal regarding federal charges in Floyd’s death that could see him spend life in prison.

A source told the outlet that under a plea deal, Chauvin might avoid life in federal prison and might instead agree to serve between 20 and 25 years. The sentence would run concurrent with his state sentence and actually might mitigate any additional prison time.

“As part of a possible plea deal Chauvin would have to publicly explain what he did to Floyd and why,” WCCO reported.

If such a deal is reached, Chauvin will leave the Minnesota state prison system and serve the time in a federal facility.

Do you think justice was served with Chauvin's conviction?

Mary Moriarty, the former chief public defender for Hennepin County, said Chauvin might be inclined to take a plea deal due to the quickness with which he was tried and convicted by the state.

“That is because, in federal court, there would be a substantial difference between what he would receive if he went to trial and was convicted versus what he would get if he pleaded guilty, and as they say take responsibility for his actions,” she told WCCO.

Chauvin is currently serving the state sentence handed down by Judge Peter Cahill last week. Cahill declined to sentence Chauvin to the state-recommended 12.5 years for the crimes of which he was convicted.

Cahill cited the former cop’s “abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty” regarding his interaction with Floyd before his death.

BREAKING: Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd https://t.co/1pe5DBkZ8g pic.twitter.com/HGJwVIjo3x

— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 25, 2021

Chauvin was convicted on charges of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

The verdict was handed down after roughly a day of deliberations following a controversial trial that saw Cahill refuse to sequester jurors and during which Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters visited Minneapolis to share incendiary rhetoric before the trial had concluded.

Chauvin had remained stoic and almost completely silent from the time of his arrest until his brief statement before sentencing a week ago.

It is not clear what federal charges the former officer might be facing.

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