Chauvin signals he will plead guilty to violating George Floyd’s civil rights

Derek Chauvin, the ex-Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, indicated in court documents filed on Monday that he plans to plead guilty in a federal civil rights case.

The documents revealed that Chauvin is set to change his plea at a hearing on Wednesday. The former police officer previously pleaded not guilty to violating Floyd’s constitutional rights during the deadly encounter.

Further details about the change of plea were not provided, and it remains unclear what Chauvin might say or what benefit he might derive from changing his plea.

Last year, Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died after Chauvin knelt on neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds. Floyd’s death sparked international protests and demands for police departments to change across the country.

In April, a jury convicted Chauvin of murder and he was sentenced to over 22 years in prison.

Chauvin also faces separate charges related to allegedly violating the rights of a 14-year-old in September 2017. For that case, Chauvin was accused of hitting the boy with a flashlight and kneeling on his neck and upper back while the boy was handcuffed and not resisting arrest. Chauvin has pleaded not guilty to those charges as well. 

Last month, he also pleaded not guilty to tax evasion charges that he and his ex-wife face after the couple allegedly underreported their income by over $460,000 from 2014 through 2019.