MINNEAPOLIS – A judge convicted Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao of aiding and abetting in the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a fellow officer. The presumptive sentence would be 12-1/2 years. Thau had bypassed a plea agreement. Judge Peter Cahill decided the verdict based on written filings and a record established in an earlier federal civil trial. Thao was last of the four officers facing judgment in state court in the Floyd case. The prosecution argued that Thao “acted without courage and displayed no compassion” despite nine years of experience. Floyd, a Black man, died as officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, pinned him to the ground with his knee.. Two other officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting.
