Chauvin’s alleged accomplices are now facing their own reckonings

With Derek Chauvin convicted and locked up awaiting sentencing, the three former Minneapolis police officers accused of helping him murder George Floyd await their own judicial reckonings with an August trial looming.

J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death outside Cup Foods last May 25. They are scheduled for trial Aug. 23.

Initially, the four former cops were set to be tried together, but Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill ordered Chauvin tried first. He faced the most serious charges and the jury convicted him of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter Tuesday afternoon after beginning deliberations late Monday.

“I would think the other three defendants would be highly motivated to reach a plea agreement,” former Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner said. “To find a jury in August, after all that’s gone on, that could really be fair to these three defendants seems like a very tough task.”

No one expects the state to dismiss the cases against the three, but criminal defense attorney Mike Brandt said the state “may make the calculus: Do we want to go through this all again or do we want to make a deal?”

But there’s the real question of whether a deal could be reached that would be acceptable to the defendants and the state. The three remaining defendants were all in different positions as the incident unfolded and led to Floyd dying on the ground.

Kueng and Lane, both rookies in their first week, were the first to arrive at Cup Foods after receiving a call of an alleged counterfeit $20 bill used to buy cigarettes. Lane approached Floyd and drew his gun on Floyd, as he sat behind the wheel of a parked Mercedes SUV. After Floyd was handcuffed, Kueng led him across the street and sat Floyd down on the ground, leaning against the wall of a building.

As Kueng and Lane struggled to get Floyd into the back of their squad vehicle, Chauvin arrived with his partner that day, Thao. Within minutes, Floyd was on the ground under Chauvin’s knee. Kueng held Floyd’s midsection while Lane was on his legs, according to body-worn camera footage.

Thao stood watch, keeping the upset bystanders away from the other three officers and Floyd.

National Urban League president Marc Morial, who was in town for the Chauvin verdict, said the prosecutions of the other three officers may not get as much attention as Chauvin’s but are critical because they were “complicit in this nine minute crucifixion and torture in the streets.”