Chauvin pleaded guilty in the courthouse in St Paul, Minnesota, to federal charges of use of excessive force for holding his knee to Mr Floyd's neck for nearly 10 minutes on 25 May, 2020 until Mr Floyd died.
Chauvin, who is white, was convicted in a state trial of murder in June and was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison.Chauvin had originally pleaded innocent in the federal rights case, but the judge told him that if he had not changed that to guilty, he faced possible life imprisonment, according to local WCCO TV.
That ensures the 45-year-old former Minneapolis policeman will spend years in prison, whatever happens with his appeal on the murder charge.In May last year, the 19-year veteran of the Minneapolis police force was seen on video kneeling on George Floyd's neck as he lay face down and handcuffed on the ground saying repeatedly "I can't breathe."
Three other now ex-officers were at the scene of Mr Floyd's death and are to be tried separately in the state's murder case: Tou Thao, Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane.Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who has represented Mr Floyd's family, called the resolution of the federal case a "historic day."
Source: Law Daily Report (lawdailyreport.net)
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