Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin could be close to a plea deal on the federal civil rights charges against him, according to WCCO-TV. The plea could land him a 20-25 year sentence, which would be served that same time as his state sentence, instead of a life sentence. Chauvin was sentenced at the state level to 22 ½ years last Friday for the murder of George Floyd.
As part of the plea deal, Chauvin would have to admit to his wrongdoing and explain why he did it, according to WCCO. This was something that Floyd’s brother directly asked him when he spoke during the sentencing.
“We don’t want to see no more slaps on the wrist. We’ve been through that already,” Terrence Floyd said before addressing Chauvin. “What was going through your head when you had your knee on my brother’s neck?”
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During his sentencing, Judge Peter Cahill called Chauvin to the stand following his attorney’s remarks. Chauvin spoke shortly, giving condolences and then sharing a somewhat cryptic message stating that more information would be coming out that could offer the Floyd family “peace of mind.”
Sources suggest that Chauvin was talking about the federal charges brought against him and the plea deal he is assumed to be working on, according to WCCO.
Former Hennepin County Public Defender Mary Moriarty spoke with News Talk 830 WCCO’s Susie Jones, saying she isn’t surprised that a plea deal is being discussed. However, she also believes that Chauvin will have to do a good job explaining kneeled on Floyd’s neck for almost 10 minutes.
“He will have to acknowledge what he did to the satisfaction of the judge,” Moriarty said. “Because if the judge is not satisfied, the judge will not accept the plea.”
Moriarty sees why he would agree to a plea in the federal case, as it will possibly give him less time behind bars. The other part is that the federal plea deal benefits both sides. Prosecutors would avoid the emotions that were present in the state case.
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At the moment, Chauvin is being kept in state prison, away from other prisoners, Moriarty said. He is essentially in solitary confinement. The federal plea deal will allow him to serve his time in a federal facility which she says is better funded.
Moriarty described what that experience is like.
“[You spend] 23 hours in your very small cell a day and you’re out for only one hour, and that is extremely hard for anybody it causes a lot of mental health problems it’s not a pleasant thing for anybody to have to experience. There also may be some way for him not to be in that situation in federal prison.”
While WCCO cited several unnamed sources almost confirming the plea deal, Moriarty says it’s not a done deal yet.
“Sometimes, these things fall through. We will know when we actually see it happen in court,” she said.