Derek Chauvin pleads guilty to federal charges
I’ve written exhaustively on the subject of Derek Chauvin and the death of George Floyd. I’m not going to go into the details again here, but suffice to say that Chauvin was following police recommended procedure at the time, and there is an enormous amount of reasonable doubt that he actually caused Floyd’s death.
It was also clear pretty much from the start that Chauvin had been labeled a monster by the world, and that he would be convicted no matter how weak the evidence against him. In addition, for personality reasons, Chauvin just isn’t a naturally sympathetic defendant at all.
And so it came to pass.
It was also clear that the feds would be pursuing him, although it’s unusual to do so when the person has received such a long sentence as a result of state proceedings. So it’s no surprise whatsoever that Chauvin has realized that resistance is futile and he has pled guilty:
Chauvin also faced civil rights federal charges along with three other officers in Floyd’s death, as well as charges related to alleged abuse of a 14 year old during an arrest…
The NY Times reports:
“A federal prosecutor said in court that the government had reached a plea deal with Mr. Chauvin under which prosecutors would seek to have him imprisoned for 25 years. That sentence would run concurrently with his state sentence, meaning it would lengthen Mr. Chauvin’s prison term by about two and a half years.
“Under the proposed sentence and rules about credit for good behavior, the earliest Mr. Chauvin would be released from prison would likely be around 2042, when he would be in his mid-60s. The sentence will ultimately be up to a judge at a later hearing…
“The terms of the plea agreement call for Mr. Chauvin to serve his time in a federal prison, which is generally considered to be safer and could separate Mr. Chauvin from prisoners he may have arrested. The agreement would also prohibit Mr. Chauvin, who was fired from the Minneapolis Police Department one day after Mr. Floyd’s death, from ever working as a police officer again.”
That last sentence is especially absurd, since it’s obvious Chauvin could never work as a police officer again. Why on earth would he want to, and who would hire him? Plus, how many 65-ish-year-old police officers are there?
And what of that 14-year-old he is alleged to have abused? You may not remember, but that’s a case I wrote about at great length previously (last April), in a post titled “Why don’t they just stone Chauvin to death and get it over with?”. Please read it if you want to understand what was involved with that 14-year-old. As is often the case, the facts may surprise you.
As soon as I saw a headline about this earlier today I thought “He’s trying to get into a federal prison.”
How (all legal sophistry from the left aside) is this not double jeopardy, and what will prevent the feds from going after Kyle Rittenhouse in a not dissimilar manner? One of the most dispiriting elements of the great unraveling of our culture during The Great Awokening of the last several years is the steady erosion of the standard of equal justice before the law, the odious Garland’s Department of (In)justice clearly intent (in common with many judges, many lower courts, and far too many Soros-funded DAs) upon using our legal system primarily to punish the ideological and political enemies of the left.
what will prevent the feds from going after Kyle Rittenhouse in a not dissimilar manner?
Kyle Rittenhouse was not a public employee.
Justice for Derek Chauvin will require two pardons. Cannot imagine he’ll receive even one. He is our Dreyfus.
I’m guessing this was a loss minimizing strategy. He’s probably out of money, which means a weak defense in a trial that could impose a life sentence (as I understand it). He needs to use what money he has to work the state appeals. If he can win there, a future US administration might commute his federal sentence.
Bill Clinton’s DOJ went after the Rodney King cops but that was after they were acquitted in state court. In this case, Chauvin still has an appeal pending on the venue issue, which is a valid one. What if his conviction is reversed because he was denied change of venue ? He should have a reversal but this is Minnesota.
He’s probably out of money, which means a weak defense in a trial that could impose a life sentence
I think the union is defending him.
After seeing only the video of Chauvin holding Floyd down while Floyd pleaded that he couldn’t breathe, I was convinced that Chauvin was a merciless cop. Getting all the facts (thanks, Neo) changed my mind. At the worst, it was involuntary manslaughter.
Looked at it through the eyes of the cops on the scene, it was q proper detention while waiting for the EMTs. I’m convinced that Floyd would have died even if they had let him sit up. The cocktail of drugs in his system was fatal. The poor policemen just happened to be detaining him as it happened. And, of course, the ubiquitous cell phone video made it seem much, much worse.
The video provided an excuse for BLM/Antifa to riot and burn in blue run cities all over the country. The Democrats actually delighted in the carnage because they saw a chance to blame it all on Trump, the racist tyrant. Evil unleashed by a video of a proper arrest.
We are sitting on a powder keg and the Democrats keep m trying to light the fuse.
Our justice system failed officers Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. And too few, even on the right, recognize this. Shameful and frightening.
The injustice visited upon Derek Chauvin rests upon the media and Minn. AG and prosecutors bearing false witness against Chauvin.
May they receive the reward they so richly deserve.
It wasn’t recently, but I remember Barnes saying that Derek Chauvin is not a nice person (emphatically) and that he was dragging a lot of baggage behind him that was going to pile up after the first round of trials – felonies having to do with tax evasion and so forth if I remember correctly. He’ll probably say something about it on this week’s podcast, Sunday night.
I find Chauvin, in spite of his criminality, a sympathetic figure for the reasons you outline above. He’s being made into an effigy, a totem for people to work out on, in their rage, an object lesson. It’s not a good look for what is supposed to be an impartial and equitable justice system. But I guess with so many other fashionable definitions of ‘justice’ floating around the air these days, it’s inevitable that the one that really matters falls into the background when it needs scrutiny and attention the most. We’re not supposed to destroy people that are unable to fight back. That’s not a hallmark of a strong social contract in any civilized nation.
He might have made these pleas as part of a deal so that he can serve his time in a Federal facility instead of a State one.
Chauvin has suffered a lynching designed by Kafka.
Aggie:
Yes, there were able tax evasion problems. I’m not sure, but I believe that may have been one of the reasons he didn’t take the stand – it would have allowed the prosecution to drag in things like that, I think.
Yes, apparently he preferred a federal prison, and I don’t blame him.
He has been scapegoated and tried by press and politics and video. It’s not right, but it happened.
but I remember Barnes saying that Derek Chauvin is not a nice person (emphatically) and that he was dragging a lot of baggage behind him that was going to pile up after the first round of trials
He’s a cop, not a Fuller Brush salesman. It’s his job to be steadfast and professional, not to be ‘nice’.
Chauvin was a disgrace as a police officer. He had seventeen — 17!! — formal complaints of brutality against him.
If the Minneapolis police department had not looked the other way so many times this never would have happened.
And, yes, Art Deco, there is nothing wrong with a policeman or woman being nice the great majority of the time.
Chauvin was a disgrace as a police officer. He had seventeen — 17!! — formal complaints of brutality against him.
Did you bother to actually read a precis of the complaints, or to ascertain how they were resolved?
@Mike Smith:And, yes, Art Deco, there is nothing wrong with a policeman or woman being nice the great majority of the time.
Art Deco never said there was. There is an enormous middle ground between “it’s not a cop’s job to be nice” and “it’s wrong for a cop to be nice the great majority of the time.”
Art said the first and not the second.
It’s usually best, if you’re discussing in good faith, not to completely distort what others say.
Joseph Wambaugh, ex-cop and author, opined that most policemen become quite cynical as their years of service continue. Because they deal mostly with the dregs of society, eventually they become cynical and view most others as possible perps. They construct a hard-shell cynicism about humans in general. Thus, a growing lack of compassion. I believe Chauvin fits in this category. That said, he was following normal restraint procedure during Floyd’s death.
I have a neighbor who is a retired cop. He shows some of those traits. 28 years of dealing with scumbags and worse has made him wary of all noon-cops. It took me a long time to get to know him because he was used to people being anti-police. He has told me some stories that would curl your hair. I have tried to imagine myself in the role of a cop. Every time you approach a criminal, even just a speeder, you have to be prepared for anything from just writing a ticket to defending yourself from a deadly attack. Training helps, but it’s a very difficult job that most of us would not choose to do.
So many of the police shootings occur when the perps resist arrest. It’s against the law to resist arrest and anyone who does so is in danger of being injured or killed. Society at large should recognize those facts and stand behind the police, not the criminals.
@Art Deco 11:36 am: To clarify, I wasn’t pointing out that Chauvin is impolite or lacking in the social graces, and yes, I am aware that cops are professional authority figures and am also aware of the competencies that go with that job. What I was referring to was the informed speculation that he’s being treated by the prosecutor as a cop that is as dirty as some of the criminals he engaged with daily. I.e. corrupt and law-breaking – Not nice.
“I think the union is defending him.” Mike K
When I was a union member of a very similar union. It became pretty obvious that if it cost them significant money. They will pressure you hard to settle. At no time in my career did I ever feel that the union had my back. Individual members absolutely. But those making decisions…never.
“Chauvin was a disgrace as a police officer. He had seventeen — 17!! — formal complaints of brutality against him.”- Mike Smith
Its easy as pie to make these kinds of complaints. And in particularly liberal cities its usually a great deal easier. And often encouraged. That said they may all be legit and Chauvin was a scumbag. But in my experience complaints are often made as an effort to be treated more leniently or to try to intimidate officers into letting someone go. Think about it. If you are going to arrest someone for driving without a license, bad plates, and a couple of minor outstanding warrants. But the guy is screaming bloody murder about being mistreated or detained. Many officers will simply give him yet another ticket and send him on his way. As they know their BOSS will be royally pissed off having this guy disrupting a more orderly jail.
Neo- I think the federal charges are simply insurance. I think its pretty damn hard to uphold a group of charges that include both Intentional murder and accidental murder. And that getting him to plea to federal charges. Means that appealing the state ones have less significance. Because in reality it wont change his outcome even if he wins.
J.J.-
Your and Wambaugh observation in my experience is pretty spot on. I think for somewhat different reasons. Officers are trained to be observant and aware of their surroundings at all times. Constant vigilance has a toll. Some people manage it pretty well. Others see warning signs all the time and find is easier to withdraw.