MINNEAPOLIS — The groundbreaking legal reckoning isn't over yet for four former Minneapolis police officers responsible for George Floyd's public killing on a south Minneapolis street almost two years ago.
As Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane await sentencing for this week's federal court conviction, they also head toward another trial. In June, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's office is set to prosecute the three in state court on charges of aiding and abetting former officer Derek Chauvin's murder of Floyd.
The fate of the three remains entwined with what happens next for Chauvin, who is serving a state sentence of more than 22 years. The duration of his federal sentence will factor into the sentences of the other three. It's also likely to influence the calculations of the officers and prosecutors on whether to negotiate a plea deal to avoid another costly and emotional trial in Minneapolis.
