MINNEAPOLIS — The joint trial scheduled for a pair of ex-Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting George Floyd's killing later this month will mark the latest proceeding after two and a half years in and out of state and federal courtrooms amid the nationwide reckoning in policing reignited by his death.
Attorneys argued 170 motions in Hennepin County District Court this week ahead of the trials for J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, who are already serving federal sentences for violating Floyd's civil rights, but rejected a plea deal that offered them sentences to be served concurrently with their federal sentences. That would have negated the need for a trial.
Kueng and Thao waived their right to appear at hearings Thursday and Friday. Kueng, 29, is in custody at the Elkton, Ohio, federal prison and Thao, 36, remains at the federal medical center in Lexington, Kentucky. Their trial is slated for Oct. 24, starting with an anticipated two weeks of jury selection. Judge Peter Cahill expects the trial to wrap up by Dec. 16.
