Another has waived his right to a trial by jury, allowing a judge to decide the case.
Terrence Floyd removes his jacket to show a shirt bearing the face of his brother, George Floyd, during a vigil on May 25, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Kueng pleading guilty on Monday was a reversal of his original decision to reject the plea deal. Thao also rejected the deal in August, saying to do so"would be lying," theThao did not join Kueng in changing course Monday, but did waive his right to a trial by jury, allowing the judge to decide the case.
Kueng and Thao, along with third former officer Thomas Lane, are already serving federal prison sentences, having previously beenDuring the federal trial for Kueng, Thao, and Lane,that they failed to intervene and provide medical aid to Floyd, instead just standing by as he died a"slow, agonizing death."
"Each made a conscious choice over and over again," Samantha Trepel, a special litigation counsel from the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, said during the ."They chose not to intervene and stop Chauvin as he killed a man. They chose not to protect George Floyd, the man they handcuffed."