MINNEAPOLIS — Three former Minneapolis police officers who were originally scheduled to be tried in March in state court in George Floyd's death will instead be tried in June.
Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill issued an order Wednesday moving the trial's start date from March 7 to June 13 after defense attorneys and prosecutors asked for a postponement.
Attorneys filed a joint motion earlier this month asking for a new trial date because the defendants — J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao — are scheduled to start trial Thursday in federal court on charges that they violated Floyd's civil rights during the May 25, 2020, arrest that led to his death.
In a separate proceeding, Kueng, Lane and Thao are each charged in state court with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. Kueng knelt on Floyd's back as Floyd laid stomach-down in the street, Lane held down his legs and Thao kept back a crowd of angry bystanders as former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes.
Chauvin was convicted in state court last year for murdering Floyd and later pleaded guilty in federal court to violating his civil rights. He is serving 22 1/2 years in prison in the state case and has yet to be sentenced in the federal case, where prosecutors are recommending a 25-year prison term.
Cahill previously said attorneys should set aside three weeks for jury selection and five weeks for testimony in the state trial.
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