Two ex-Minneapolis police officers involved in the murder of George Floyd, were offered a plea deal by state prosecutors. Both cops rejected the deal. 

Tou Thao, 36, and J. Alexander Kueng, 28, are both charged in Minnesota with two counts of second-degree aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter. They were among the three officers who watched their colleague, Derek Chauvin, kill George Floyd by pinning his neck to the ground with a knee for nine minutes in May, 2020. 

The two officers declined an offer to enter a guilty plea to the lesser count of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. The deal was also offered to former officer Thomas Lane, and was accepted.

The deal included a sentence of three years in prison, served concurrently with prior federal punishments. 

In rejecting the plea agreements, the state sentences of Thao and Keung could be significantly longer than federal sentences if the men are convicted on both counts. The state’s sentencing guidelines provide for punishments of 12 1/2 years for murder and four years for manslaughter, but Assistant Attorney General Matt Frank said at the hearing that prosecutors have already stated they will seek longer sentences if they obtain convictions.

The two officers will face state trials on October 24 in Hennepin County District Court. 

Approximately eight months have passed since a federal jury found Thao, Kueng, and Lane guilty of depriving Floyd of his civil rights and failing to intervene while he choked to death. 

Lane is scheduled to face sentencing in the state case on September 21. 

Derek Chauvin received a 21-year term after entering a guilty plea to his federal charges. He is detained at Oak Park Heights, the state’s maximum security prison. The other three officers remain free on bail. 

Thao, Keung, and Lane were found guilty in federal court of breaching Floyd’s civil rights. Thao received a sentence of three-and-a-half years in prison, Keung three years, and Lan two-and-a-half-years for the charges.