Judge Denies Three Officers’ Request to Be Tried Separately in George Floyd Murder Case

A judge has denied separate trials for the officers involved in the murder of George Floyd.

The three former Minneapolis officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Keung and Thomas Lane, requested to be tried separately after being arrested and charged for allegedly violating George Floyd’s civil rights when he was killed last year in May, KARE 11 reports. A federal grand jury indicted fourth officer Derek Chauvin, and he was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison. All of the officers have pleaded not guilty to crimes they were accused of.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Tony Leung concluded that “Joinder of Chauvin, Thao, Kueng, and Lane is appropriate in this federal case given the significant overlap and interplay of the charges against them.” Leung added that the officers’ defense attorneys have yet to establish the presence of prejudice.

“They have not established a clear likelihood of real prejudice,” says Leung, KARE 11 reports. “They speculate, but have not shown, that their defenses will be irreconcilable or that the jury will be unable to compartmentalize the evidence, much of which will be the same whether Chauvin is jointly tried with them or not.”

BET reports that Lane, Kueng and Thao will be tried together on aiding and abetting counts in a Minnesota state trial. The men could serve up to 40 years in prison if found guilty. The news outlet reports there are no details on when their trial is set to start.