A federal judge on Wednesday accepted a plea deal to sentence Derek Chauvin to up to 25 years in prison for violating George Floyd’s constitutional rights by murdering him on a Minneapolis street.
The disgraced ex-Minneapolis cop pleaded guilty to a federal charge in December 2021 for depriving Floyd of his constitutional rights to be free from unreasonable force from a police officer.
“The defendant held his left knee across Mr. Floyd’s neck, back, and shoulder, and his right knee on Mr. Floyd’s back and arm,” the plea agreement states.
“As Mr. Floyd lay on the ground, handcuffed and unresisting, the defendant kept his knees on Floyd’s neck and body, even after Mr. Floyd became unresponsive. This offense resulted in bodily injury to, and the death of George Floyd,” it adds.
Judge Paul Magnuson, the Minnesota federal judge overseeing the case against Chauvin and three other former cops who were there that day, had waited to accept the plea until a pre-sentence report was concluded.
The report was filed in the case last week, paving the way for the plea to be formalized.
The deal will allow Chauvin to serve his federal time concurrent to the 22-year sentence he received as part of his murder conviction in state court.
Chauvin killed Floyd on a Minneapolis street corner in May 2020 by kneeling on his neck until he died.
The killing, which was captured on video and spread across the internet, sparked worldwide protests against police brutality and racism.