Now that the sentence is in for Tou Thao in the state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, it wraps up the main criminal cases against the four officers involved in Floyd's death, pending appeals.
This sentencing for Thao brings to a close one of the largest and longest criminal prosecutions of police officers in U.S. history. The death of Floyd led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations.
Those prosecutions came from both the state of Minnesota, and also from the Federal Government as a Civil Rights violation.
Here is the final rundown of sentences for each of the four Minneapolis Police Officers involved in the killing of George Floyd, over three years ago, on May 25, 2020.
DEREK CHAUVIN
Chauvin faced the stiffest charges, and stiffest sentence of the officers as the one who kneeled on Floyd's neck for those 9 1/2 minutes while Floyd kept repeating "I can't breathe".
Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the killing of Floyd. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Chauvin to 22 1/2 years in prison, beyond the prescribed guidelines set forth in Minnesota but short of the 30 years prosecutors called for.
Cahill noted in his sentencing that Chauvin's "abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty” shown to Floyd. The sentence is one of the longest prison terms ever imposed on a U.S. police officer in the killing of a Black person.
Already, the Minnesota Court of Appeals has upheld Chauvin's conviction and the Minnesota Supreme Court denied his appeal without comment. His lawyers have also appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court saying the extreme amount of publicity the case received meant Chauvin did not get a fair trial.
Chauvin accepted a plea agreement in the Federal Civil Rights trial. A federal judge sentenced Chauvin to 245 months (just over 20 years) in federal prison. That sentence will be concurrent with his state sentence of 22 1/2 years.
The judge in that case, Paul Magnuson, told Chauvin during sentencing, "I don't know why you did what you did."
Chauvin is currently serving his federal prison sentence in Arizona.
THOMAS LANE
Former Minneapolis police Officer Thomas Lane was sentenced to 30 months in prison for violating George Floyd's civil rights and failing to provide medical care. Lane was one of the other three Minneapolis officers on the scene with Chauvin.
Judge Magnuson noted that Lane's role was "minimal", and took that into account. Lane was a rookie officer. Lane and fellow rookie J. Alexander Kueng helped restrain Floyd while Chauvin, who is was the most senior officer on the scene, killed Floyd.
Lane also reached a plea deal in state court to a charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. The state sentence will be three years, and the judge said he'll serve that currently with the federal sentence which he is serving in Englewood, Colorado.
J. ALEXANDER KUENG
Kueng, who was the other rookie officer on the scene, was given three years for violating George Floyd's civil rights in Federal Court by Judge Magnuson. The judge noted the Kueng made a serious error in diagnosis while Chauvin was kneeling on Floyd.
"The evidence showed that Kueng genuinely thought that Mr. Floyd was suffering from excited delirium with a drug overdose," said Magnuson in his sentencing. It turned out Floyd simply couldn't breathe because of Chauvin on his neck.
Kueng, unlike Thomas Lane, rejected a plea deal from the state initially, opting for a trial. He eventually changed his mind and pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, just as a jury was being selected.
Kueng's 42-month sentence is being served concurrently with the federal sentence.
Kueng is in the US Bureau of Prisons Elkton facility in Lisbon, Ohio.
TOU THAO
The most reticent of the three officers on the scene with Chauvin to accept a deal was Tou Thao.
While the officers in almost every other case have either expressed remorse or sympathy for the Floyd family, Thao has been defiant and spoken at length. In Federal Court, Thao shared his Christian faith, saying that he picked up a Bible in 2020 after being placed in a jail cell and has been a Christian ever since. During his statement he spent most of his time reciting Bible verses before the courtroom.
In the Federal Civil Rights trial, Thao received a 3 1/2 year prison sentence with Judge Magnuson again noting that Thao, like Kueng, made serious misdiagnosis of Floyd's situation.
Choosing a trial in the state aiding and abetting charges, the former Minneapolis police officer who held bystanders back while George Floyd was killed, was found guilty by Hennepin County judge Peter Cahill.
This week he was sentenced to nearly five years. That is significantly longer than both Kueng and Lane who took plea deals.
Once again, at the sentencing hearing, Thao spoke at length about his growth as a Christian during his 340 days behind bars. He said he was “distressed” by Floyd’s death but denied any role in it.
“I did not commit these crimes,” Thao said. “My conscience is clear. I will not be a Judas nor join a mob in self-preservation or betray my God.”
Cahill responded that he was hoping “for more than preaching” from Thao.
"After three years of reflection. I was hoping for a little more remorse, regret, acknowledgement of some responsibility and less preaching," said Cahill.
The sentence will be served at federal prison with credit for time served before Thao is transferred to a Minnesota prison to serve out the remainder.
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