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Former Minneapolis Police Officer Thomas Lane has pleaded guilty Wednesday to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the 2020 death of George Floyd.
As part of a plea deal, Lane had a count of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder dismissed. The state is recommending a sentence of three years for Lane and has agreed to allow him to serve the time in a federal prison.
Lane, along with J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, has already been convicted on federal counts of willfully violating Floyd’s rights during the May 2020 restraint that led to the Black man’s death.
Thomas Lane has accepted a plea deal Wednesday, May 18, in relation to charges in connection to George Floyd’s death.
(Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office)
The plea deal would allow Lane to serve the state’s recommended 3-year sentence concurrently with the federal conviction – where a sentence has yet to be determined, according to the Star Tribune.
Their former colleague, Derek Chauvin, pleaded guilty last year to a federal charge of violating Floyd’s civil rights and faces a federal sentence ranging from 20 to 25 years. Chauvin earlier was convicted of state charges of murder and manslaughter and sentenced to 22 1/2 years in the state case.
(Cedric Hohnstadt via AP//Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)
Floyd, 46, died May 25, 2020, after Chauvin pinned him to the ground with a knee on his neck, as Floyd repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe. Lane and Kueng helped to restrain Floyd, who was handcuffed. Lane held down Floyd’s legs and Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back. Thao kept bystanders from intervening during the 9 1/2-minute restraint.
Lane was convicted along with Kueng and Thao of federal charges in February, after a monthlong trial that focused on the officers’ training and the culture of the police department.
All three were convicted of depriving Floyd of his right to medical care and Thao and Kueng were also convicted of failing to intervene to stop Chauvin during the killing, which was caught on video and sparked protests around the world.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
