Former Minnesota police officer and convicted killer Derek Chauvin is nearing a plea deal with federal prosecutors, Minneapolis station WCCO-TV is reporting.
Citing multiple sources, WCCO reports that Chauvin could get a 20- to 25-year sentence to run concurrently with the 22.5-year state sentence he was given last week for the May 25, 2020, murder of unarmed civilian George Floyd. He would also serve his sentence in a federal prison if the alleged deal is reached.
The 45-year-old former cop could face life behind bars if he goes to trial and loses again. On Friday, Chauvin delivered a cryptic message to Floyd’s family in the Minneapolis courtroom where his sentence was handed down.
“At this time, due to some additional legal matters at hand, I’m not able to give a full formal statement at this time. But very briefly though, I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family,” Chauvin said. “There’s gonna be some other information in the future that would be of interest, and uh, I hope that things will give you some peace of mind. Thank you.”
WCCO’s sources suspect Chauvin was referring to a plea deal on the federal level. Part of that agreement could compel Chauvin to confess what was going through his mind when he remained kneeled on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, according to prosecutors.
Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He could have been sentenced to as many as 40 years behind bars last week.
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