Prosecutors are asking for the state’s standard prison sentence — just over seven years — for ex-cop Kim Potter, despite previously saying they would request a longer sentence. Potter, who fatally shot Daunte Wright after mistaking her gun for her Taser, is set to be sentenced for the 20-year-old’s death tomorrow (Feb. 18).
According to NBC News, the Minnesota Attorney General’s office filed a motion this week asking the judge to sentence Potter to 86 months, or seven years and two months, in prison; the state’s recommended sentence for first-degree manslaughter. In the filing, the office said the sentence is appropriate for the former Brooklyn Center police officer because she has no prior criminal history.
“The appropriate sentence has to be the presumptive sentence set by the legislature until Defendant Potter can convince the Court that society’s interests, including those of Daunte Wright’s family and friends, can be met by some other disposition.”
In December, Potter was convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter for the 2021 killing of Wright. Under Minnesota law, she will only be sentenced for the most serious conviction, first-degree manslaughter, which carries a 15-year maximum sentence.
State guidelines recommend a sentence between six and eight-and-a-half years for the offense. Prosecutors initially said they would ask for a longer sentence due to the aggravating factors in Potter’s case, such as her abusing her power as a police officer and creating a greater-than-normal danger to those around her.
Potter’s attorneys, meanwhile, have asked for a significantly lesser penalty, such as probation only.
The former cop’s sentencing hearing will begin at 9 a.m. local time tomorrow and be presided over by Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu. Potter has been incarcerated at the Minnesota Correctional Facility since her conviction last year.
With good behavior, Potter will presumably serve two-thirds of her sentence in prison and the rest on parole.