One of George Floyd's Killers Sentenced to 3.5 Years in Prison [UPDATED]
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Updated as of 12/9/2022 at 4:28 p.m. ET
One of the Minneapolis police officers who assisted in the death of George Floyd was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison on Friday, according to CNN.
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In October, former Minneapolis officer J. Alexander Kueng entered a plea agreement, pleading guilty to one count of aiding and abetting in the manslaughter of George Floyd. In July, he was sentenced to three years in federal prison along with Tou Thao, who was sentenced to 3.5 years, for violating Floyd’s civil rights.
According to Kueng’s plea agreement, as long as he pleaded guilty to the one count, the second charge of aiding and abetting in second-degree unintentional murder will be dismissed. If he was convicted on that second charge, he would’ve faced 12 1/2 years if convicted.
On the other hand, Thao, one of the four officers involved in the murder of Floyd, did not take the bait. He said in court earlier this year he would not be taking a plea deal, per CNN. As Kueng took the deal, Thao agreed to a trial by stipulated evidence, waiving his right to testify and his right to a trial by jury.
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Kueng appeared remotely from the US Bureau of Prisons Elkton facility in Lisbon, Ohio, where he’s serving a three-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights. He did not address the court.
“Nothing your honor, thank you,” he said when asked if he had any remarks.
There was no formal victim impact statement.
“The sentencing of Alexander Kueng for his role in the murder of George Floyd delivers yet another piece of justice for the Floyd family,” attorneys Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci and Jeff Storms, who represent Floyd’s family, said in a statement.
Keung, along with Thao, Thomas Lane and Derek Chauvin, were the four officers who were directly involved in the murder of Floyd in May 2020.
In June 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. Less than two weeks later, he was sentenced to 21 years in prison for violating Floyd’s civil rights.
In July, Lane was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for violating Floyd’s rights by not helping him with medical care after Chauvin fatally stood on his neck. In September, he pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to three years in prison, according to NBC News. That’s 5.5 years for Lane.
All four of the officers who are responsible for Floyd’s death have been sentenced to some sort of prison time and finally have to face the consequences for the crimes they committed on May 25, 2020. Hopefully, Floyd’s family can begin the process of healing as these officers think about their actions on that day.
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