Murderer Ex-Cop Derek Chauvin Is a Federal Convict Now, Too

Murderer Ex-Cop Derek Chauvin

Photos: Twitter

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer already convicted of murdering George Floyd, has pleaded guilty to federal charges that he violated the 46-year-old’s civil rights when he kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes during the notorious May 2020 incident.

Chauvin, 45, and three other former officers involved in Floyd’s death were indicted on federal charges—in addition to the state conviction that already has Chauvin serving over 20 years in prison—in May for deprivation of rights while acting as law enforcement officers. The indictment alleged the group violated Floyd’s rights to be “free from unreasonable seizure” and excessive force, and failed to provide the unarmed Black man medical care even after he cried out for help.

“The three-count indictment alleges that all four defendants, while acting under color of law, willfully deprived Mr. Floyd of his constitutional rights,” the Department of Justice said in a May press release.

The indictment, which stemmed from a Department of Justice investigation, came just weeks after Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in state court in relation to Floyd’s death.

But while Chauvin initially pleaded not guilty to the federal civil rights charges in September, the former officer amended his plea during a hearing before the U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson at a federal courthouse in St. Paul on Wednesday. As one of the most notorious cops in American history, the guilty plea marks the latest win in Floyd’s case, which sparked a global reckoning on race and police-brutality cases.

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