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Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Derek Chauvin to 22.5 years in prison after he was convicted of three crimes connected to the murder of George Floyd. Moving forward, Chauvin faces a handful of federal charges connected to Floyd's death and the arrest of a young Black teenager in the Minneapolis area. As a trial date nears for his federal charges, Chauvin is reportedly closing in on a plea deal.
WCCO in Minneapolis has reported that Chauvin would serve a 20-25 year federal sentence concurrently with his sentence. In addition, Chauvin's plea deal would require him to deliver a public statement addressing what he did to Floyd and why. If true, it would explain why the former police officer made cryptic comments during his sentencing hearing.
“Due to legal matters, I’m not able to give a full formal statement. I give my condolences to the Floyd family, there’s gonna be some other information in the future that will be of interest and I hope these will give you some peace of mind,” Chauvin said before his sentencing.
During the later stages of the Trump administration, Chauvin's attorney, Eric Nelson, attempted to reach a plea deal with the attorney general, but talks fell through at the last minute. Now, Chauvin could be motivated to reach a plea deal given the outcome of the first trial. In state court, Chauvin faced up to 40 years in prison. However, he faces a life sentence if convicted on federal charges.
"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 pled guilty, and as they say take responsibility for his actions,” former Hennepin County Chief Public Mary Moriarity told WCCO.
While Chauvin works through his federal charges, his former colleagues, J. Alexander Keung, Tou Thao and Thomas Lane, also face federal charges. The trio is also set to stand trial for state charges in March 2022.
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