White Derek Sowin, a former police officer convicted of the murder of African-American George Floyd, pleaded guilty today to violating his victim’s constitutional rights in federal court.
Sauvin, 45, who remained on Floyd’s neck for almost ten minutes in May 2020, has so far admitted no wrongdoing in this shocking case. He was found guilty of manslaughter by a Minneapolis court last spring and sentenced to 22.5 years in prison, but has appealed.
In parallel with the state authorities, the federal judiciary launched an investigation and prosecuted him, along with his three former colleagues, for violating the constitutional rights of George Floyd. Such “double” prosecutions are allowed in the United States, but they are relatively rare and in this case reflect the importance of the case which led to mass mobilizations against racism and police violence across the country.
In September, Sauvin pleaded not guilty to the charges, but today he changed his strategy, in an agreement with federal prosecutors, to avoid a new trial. So far no date has been set for the announcement of his sentence. Prosecutors have demanded that he be sentenced to 25 years in prison, which he will serve at the same time as his previous sentence.
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