Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis policeman convicted of murdering African-American George Floyd, pleaded guilty Wednesday to violating Floyd’s civil rights –- his first acknowledgement of criminal wrongdoing in the case.
Chauvin pleaded guilty in the courthouse in St. Paul, Minnesota, to federal charges of use of excessive force for holding his knee to Floyd’s neck for nearly 10 minutes on May 25, 2020 until Floyd expired.
Floyd’s death, which was filmed by a bystander on a cellphone, set off months of Black Lives Matter demonstrations throughout the country over police abuse of African-Americans.
Chauvin was convicted in a state trial of murder in June and was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison.
But he has not admitted guilt to the murder charges and is appealing that conviction.
Chauvin had originally pleaded innocent in the federal rights case. But the judge told him that if he had not changed that to guilty, he faced possible life imprisonment, according to local WCCO TV.
After he reversed his plea, federal prosecutors said Chauvin could be sentenced to between 20 and 25 years, served concurrently with and beyond the sentence in the murder conviction.
That ensures the 45-year-old former Minneapolis policeman will spend years in prison, whatever happens with his appeal on the murder charge.