On Thursday (May 20), the Minnesota Court of Appeals will hear the case of the three former officers charged in the murder of George Floyd last May. Thomas Lane, J. Kueng, and Tou Thao are facing charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. Thursday’s hearing will determine if additional charges will be brought against the ex-officers.
According to The Huffington Post, the men could face an additional charge after an appeals court decision made in February that upheld the murder conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor who shot and killed a woman in 2017.
Based on the precedent of that ruling and the third-degree murder charge reinstated against Derek Chauvin, the appeals court could rule in favor of state prosecutors and the charge could be added. The panel of three judges will have 90 days to make a decision.
Chauvin, who was found guilty on all three charges for Floyd’s murder last month, and the other officers are all also facing federal civil right violation charges.
Lane, Kueng, and Thao are scheduled to stand trial beginning next March. The trial had been scheduled to begin this August but was pushed back to allow the federal civil rights case to proceed.
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