Tou Thao, the final officer to face punishment for the George Floyd murder, will spend over four years in prison for his role.
On Monday, the verdict was handed down, ruling that the former Minneapolis police officer would serve four years and nine months in state prison. Thao was not the killer, but he did observe fellow officer Derek Chauvin brutally hold his knee against Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes as he pleaded for his life, telling the deputies that he could not breathe. Instead, Thao blocked bystanders trying to help Floyd. He did nothing to intervene, which is why he was convicted of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
Thao previously rejected a state plea deal. The disgraced lawman claimed that he hadn’t committed any crimes, so he did not feel that he should have to admit to anything. Instead, he pleaded not guilty and allowed Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill to decide his fate, also turning away a jury trial. Based on the evidence presented, Cahill found Thao guilty. In addition to his new state penalty, Thao also received another 3 1/2 years in federal court for his civil rights violations related to Floyd’s death. The state case will run concurrently with that one, CBS News reports. Despite these lengthy punishments, Thao has maintained his innocence.
“I did not commit these crimes. My conscience is clear. I will not be a Judas nor join a mob in self-preservation or betray my God,” he said during Monday’s hearing. Cahill, on the other hand, was not moved by Thao’s faith speech, declaring that “there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that his idleness that May 2020 day contributed to Floyd’s death.
