Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chuavin pleaded guilty this Wednesday (15) in US federal court to the charge of violating the civil rights of George Floyd, a black man who died of asphyxiation by the knee of the agent, a white agent, during an approach last year.
It is the first time Chauvin has pleaded guilty to the case, but on a separate charge from murder, on which he was convicted earlier this year. The admission, according to the prosecution agreement, would extend his sentence by about two years as he is serving 22 years and 6 months in solitary confinement in a Minnesota maximum security prison.
Images of the white police officer choking on his knee Floyd, a black man, in May of last year went viral on the internet and were the trigger for a wave of anti-racism protests and against police violence in the US and in several countries.
Chauvin arrived at court in Minnesota in an orange jumpsuit worn by inmates in the US to waive his right to a trial after reaching the plea agreement. In September, he had pleaded not guilty to the prosecution.
He was asked by prosecutors whether he deliberately deprived Floyd of his constitutional right and kept his knee to the black man’s neck even after he was unconscious. Chauvin then replied, “Correct.”
The prosecution told the court that the sentencing guideline in such cases is 20 to 25 years in prison, according to state news channel WCCO-TV. Under the agreement, they asked for the maximum sentence to be served concurrently with those of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
In addition to detention, he will need to pay compensation, the amount of which will still be determined, according to the broadcaster, in addition to pledging never to act as a police officer again. The hearing to define the sentence, however, has yet to take place and has no scheduled date. In it, relatives and people close to Chauvin and Floyd will be able to testify in court.
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