William Barr Stopped Plea Deal for Cop Who Killed George Floyd |
Written by <a href="index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=userProfile&user=49824"><span class="small">Matt Stieb, New York Magazine</span></a> |
Friday, 12 February 2021 09:32 |
Stieb writes: "Though Chauvin was facing a state murder charge, the deal reportedly required the federal government's approval because he asked to serve in a federal prison and because he requested an assurance from the Department of Justice that he would not be prosecuted on federal charges of violating Floyd's civil rights."
William Barr Stopped Plea Deal for Cop Who Killed George Floyd12 February 21
Though Chauvin was facing a state murder charge, the deal reportedly required the federal government’s approval because he asked to serve in a federal prison and because he requested an assurance from the Department of Justice that he would not be prosecuted on federal charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights. With a plea deal to a charge of third-degree murder off the table, the slow process of trying Chauvin for second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter is about to begin, with jury selection scheduled for March 8. However, there are several different factors that could delay the trial, as the Times notes: The prosecution has asked an appeals court to put off the proceedings, citing the risk that the trial, with so many demonstrators likely to fill the streets, becomes a superspreader event during the coronavirus pandemic … In anticipation of unrest during the trial, the National Guard is preparing for a potential deployment to Minneapolis, while Governor Tim Walz included almost $40 million in security and law-enforcement costs for the proceedings in a recent budget proposal. The Times report on the failed plea deal comes the day after eight minority correctional officers at Ramsey County Adult Detention Center — the St. Paul jail where Chauvin was held until his release on $1 million bond in October — filed a racial discrimination lawsuit in state district court, claiming that a superintendent reassigned them to a different floor upon Chauvin’s arrival. “The impact on our clients has been immense,” the officers’ attorney said. “They’re deeply humiliated and distressed, and the bonds necessary within the high-stress and high-pressure environment of the ADC have been broken.” |