CNN
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The upcoming state trial for former Minneapolis cops Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng for his or her alleged position in George Floyd’s killing has been moved to January 2023, Hennepin County Choose Peter Cahill dominated Monday.
Jury choice within the trial for Thao and Kueng, charged with aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional homicide and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, had been scheduled to start subsequent week. The 2 former officers have pleaded not responsible.
A 3rd former officer, Thomas Lane, pleaded responsible to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter final month as a part of a plea deal. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on September 21, in response to the courtroom.
In his ruling Monday, Cahill cited publicity from that plea deal in addition to the current federal conviction of the three former officers for violating Floyd’s civil rights earlier this yr.
“These two occasions and the publicity surrounding them are important in that they may make it troublesome for jurors to presume Thao and Kueng harmless of the State fees,” Cahill wrote.
The choose additionally denied a request from protection attorneys for a change of venue within the ruling. Jury choice within the state trial for Thao and Kueng is now slated to start January 9 with opening statements January 30.
The costs stem from the previous officers’ actions – or lack thereof – as their colleague Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into the neck and again of Floyd, who was handcuffed and mendacity on his abdomen, for over 9 minutes on Could 25, 2020.
Chauvin was convicted final spring of Floyd’s homicide in a state trial and was sentenced to greater than 22 years in jail. He additionally pleaded responsible in federal courtroom in December to violating Floyd’s civil rights, and he shall be sentenced to twenty to 25 years in jail.
Through the arrest, Lane held down Floyd’s legs, Kueng held down Floyd’s torso, and Thao stood close by and saved a crowd of upset bystanders again. Harrowing video taken by a bystander confirmed Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, desperately pleading for them to let him breathe and calling for his mom earlier than he misplaced consciousness and died.
Thao, Kueng and Lane had been already convicted in a federal courtroom in February of violating Floyd’s civil rights. A sentencing date has not been set in that case.