Judge postpones trial for three former US cops charged in George Floyd s death
The trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting in the death of George Floyd will be pushed back to March 2022, in part to allow the publicity over Derek Chauvin s conviction to cool off, a judge ruled Thursday.
Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao were scheduled to face trial August 23 on charges they aided and abetted both murder and manslaughter. The officers co-defendant, Chauvin, was convicted of murder and manslaughter counts. All four officers also face federal charges that allege they violated Floyd s civil rights during his May 25 arrest.
The trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting in the death of George Floyd will be pushed back to March 2022, in part to allow the publicity over Derek Chauvin’s conviction to cool off, a judge ruled Thursday.
Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao were scheduled to face trial Aug. 23 on charges they aided and abetted both murder and manslaughter. The officers’ co-defendant, Chauvin, was convicted of murder and manslaughter counts. All four officers also face federal charges that allege they violated Floyd’s civil rights during his May 25 arrest.
Judge Peter Cahill said he moved jury selection in the other officers’ trial to March 8, 2022, so the federal case can go forward first. He also said he felt the need to put some distance between the three officers’ trial and Chauvin’s due to the high-profile nature of the case.
The decision to delay the trial for Derek Chauvin’s alleged accomplices was unopposed, but came at the end of a contentious hearing on other issues.
From left: Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. (Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)
MINNEAPOLIS (CN) The state-court trial of three former Minneapolis police officers accused of aiding and abetting the murder of George Floyd has been delayed until next year pending the resolution of federal civil rights charges.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill made the decision at the end of a contentious Thursday morning hearing in the cases of former officers Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng. He pushed the officers’ August 2021 trial date back to March 7, 2022, citing the logistical problems of conducting two trials so close to each other along with the probability of heavy pretrial publicity.
By STEVE KARNOWSKI and AMY FORLITI
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) â The trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting in the death of George Floyd will be pushed back to March 2022, in part to allow the publicity over Derek Chauvin s conviction to cool off, a judge ruled Thursday.
Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao were to face trial Aug. 23 on charges they aided and abetted both murder and manslaughter. Their co-defendant, Chauvin, was convicted in April of murder and manslaughter. All four officers also face federal charges that they violated Floydâs civil rights during his May 25 arrest.