Act Daily News
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A former Minneapolis police officer who assisted within the deadly restraint of George Floyd was sentenced to three ½ years in jail Friday for his function within the killing.
J. Alexander Kueng pleaded responsible to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter on the day his state trial was to start final October, agreeing to the plea in alternate for the state dropping a rely of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional homicide within the May 25, 2020, dying that triggered worldwide protests in opposition to police brutality.
Kueng appeared remotely from the US Bureau of Prisons Elkton facility in Lisbon, Ohio, the place he’s serving a three-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights. He didn’t deal with the court docket.
“Nothing your honor, thank you,” he mentioned when requested if he had any remarks.
There was no formal sufferer impression assertion.
“The sentencing of Alexander Kueng for his role in the murder of George Floyd delivers yet another piece of justice for the Floyd family,” attorneys Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci and Jeff Storms, who characterize Floyd’s household, mentioned in an announcement.
“While the family faces yet another holiday season without George, we hope that moments like these continue to bring them a measure of peace, knowing that George’s death was not in vain.”
Harrowing video taken by a bystander confirmed Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, desperately pleading for the officers restraining him to let him breathe earlier than he misplaced consciousness and died.
Kueng was amongst 4 officers who had been fired and criminally charged after Floyd’s dying. The metropolis of Minneapolis agreed final 12 months to pay Floyd’s property $27 million to settle a lawsuit along with his household.
“I really can’t come close to comprehending what the family and friends of George Floyd have had to go through,” prosecutor Matthew Frank instructed the court docket earlier than sentencing.
“It’s not just watching a video of your loved one dying and seeing it on TV over and over again. Throughout these two and a half years, throughout all the court proceedings, we think of them often and we wish them the best in healing and moving forward.”
Frank mentioned Floyd was a “crime victim” and Kueng “was not simply a bystander in what happened that day.”
“Mr. Kueng was an active part of this,” he added.
Defense lawyer Thomas Plunkett mentioned police leaders “failed” each Floyd and Kueng by not adequately coaching officers.
Kueng obtained credit score for 84 days time served. He can be prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition for the remainder of his life, Judge Peter Cahill dominated.
His sentencing Friday was delayed a number of hours due to technical points with the net convention.
Kueng, who helped restrain Floyd as Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for greater than 9 minutes, and one other officer, Tou Thao, who fended off indignant witnesses pleading for police to get off Floyd, had been each convicted of federal fees within the killing. They had been discovered responsible on fees of violating Floyd’s civil rights and of failing to intervene to cease Chauvin in the course of the restraint.
Kueng was sentenced to 3 years and Thao was sentenced to three ½ years. Keung will serve his state sentence concurrently along with his federal sentence.
The two former cops started serving these sentences in October, in keeping with the federal Bureau of Prisons.
Chauvin was discovered responsible of second-degree unintentional homicide, third-degree homicide and second-degree manslaughter in state court docket and was sentenced to 22.5 years in jail in June 2021.
In federal court docket, Chauvin pleaded responsible to depriving Floyd of his rights and an unrelated civil rights violation was sentenced to 21 years in jail. He is serving the sentences concurrently.
Thomas Lane, the fourth officer, who held Floyd’s legs in the course of the arrest, pleaded responsible to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the summertime and was sentenced to 3 years in jail in September. He is serving that concurrently with a two-and-a-half 12 months federal sentence in Colorado.
Kueng initially was to go on trial in October with Thao.
Thao, in keeping with his lawyer, Robert Paule, agreed to a trial by stipulated proof, that means he waived his proper to a trial by jury and the court docket would resolve Thao’s destiny after reviewing proof offered by each events.