A trial date has been set for three of the former Minneapolis police officers who were involved in the death of George Floyd.
According to ABC News, an order from Judge Peter Cahill states that opening statements for the trial of Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao — who are all charged with aiding and abetting both murder and manslaughter — will begin on March 28, 2022. The court will be in session on Mar. 7 to deal with any administrative issues or evidentiary motions. Jury selection for the trial will begin on Mar. 8. The judge also issued deadlines for the lawyers to file documents pertaining to the case.
Back in May, Judge Cahill delayed the trial until March 2022 to ensure that the federal case was completed before the trial. He claimed that the distance was necessary considering the publicity surrounding Derek Chauvin’s case.
In April, Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter for his involvement in Floyd’s death. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25.
Prosecutors are looking to add a new count of aiding and abetting third-degree murder against Lane, Thao and Kueng. In their argument, they asked the three-judge panel to send the case to a lower court to add the new charge, citing the reinstatement of Chauvin’s third-degree murder charge as a reason why the judges should rule in their favor. They said that the court is supposed “to treat like cases alike.”
All four ex-cops also face federal charges for Floyd’s death. The men are accused of willfully violating Floyd’s constitutional rights as he was restrained over one year ago. Chauvin is charged with unreasonable force by a police officer, while the other three former cops are charged with violating Floyd’s right to be free from unreasonable seizure because they “willfully failed to intervene to stop Chauvin’s use of unreasonable force.” Additionally, all four men are charged for their failure to provide Floyd with medical care.