Derek Chauvin Federal Case: Judge Shuts Down Three Ex-Minnesota Police Officers Attempt To Be Tried Separately
The three other ex-Minnesota police officers facing charges over George Floyd’s death suffered a major blow in their federal case.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, the judge presiding over their criminal cases has ruled J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao will be tried with Derek Chauvin.
Kueng, Lane and Thao had filed docs pleading with their case to be separated from Chauvin. They likely feared potential juror members coming in with a bias against them due to any connection with Chauvin.
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The attorney representing the three defendants told the court, "There is a conflict of interest between the defendants. The conflict flows from Mr. Chauvin's level of culpability. Due to this conflict, the jurors will not be able to follow the Court's instructions and compartmentalize the evidence as it related to Mr. Kueng."
"The jury will have insurmountable difficulty distinguishing evidence presented on one count from that evidence presented on the other counts, and will inevitably consider the evidence cumulatively," they argued.
The judge wasn't persuaded by the argument and denied the motion. The ruling said the lawyers failed to prove Chauvin's conviction would prevent a fair trial.
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, back in June, Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison after being found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
After his conviction, the feds filed federal charges over the Floyd incident. The prosecutors accuse Chauvin and the three other officers of violating Floyd's civil rights.
At the moment, Chauvin is appealing the 22.5-year prison sentence. He accuses the court of making numerous errors during the trial and during sentencing. He is currently rotting away behind bars while trying to work on overturning his conviction.
The other three former officers have yet to go to trial over the state charges. They are expected to appear before a jury early next year.
