George Floyd: Three former officers indicted in murder remain free on bail until 2022 after judge postpones trial

Derek Chauvin was convicted last month on state charges of murder and manslaughter

Three former officers charged with aiding and abetting in the murder of George Floyd will remain free on bail until March 2022 after a judge in Minneapolis announced their state trial would be postponed.

Judge Peter Cahill said on Thursday that the trial of Thomas Lane, J Kueng, and Tou Thao, which was scheduled to take place on 23 August, would be moved so the federal case against the officers can go forward first.

Former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, their co-defendant, was convicted last month on all counts of murder and manslaughter.

The three officers were present when Mr Floyd died after Mr Chauvin pinned Mr Floyd to the ground by his neck with his knee for over nine minutes.

All four officers are facing federal alongside the state charges that allege they violated Mr Floyd’s civil rights during his arrest on 25 May last year.

The judge also expressed that he felt it was appropriate to put some time between the three officers’ trial and Chauvin’s trial due to the high degree of public interest in the case.

Following a federal court appearance last Friday, all three men charged were allowed to remain free on a $750,000 bond.

Their trial was held separate from Chauvin’s to comply with Covid-19 courtroom spacing restrictions. Defence attorneys for all three former officers agreed to the latest postponement.

Acting on behalf of the state Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank said the state did not support the delay in the trial.

The three former officers could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted of aiding and abetting murder, but sentencing guidelines in the state could reduce this to a maximum of 15 years.

Any federal sentence would be served at the same time as a state sentence.

Chauvin had his bond revoked when convicted and is held in state custody as he awaits sentencing later this year on 25 June the state charges.

Reporting by the Associated Press