A judge had sentenced Thomas Lane to three years of jail time, for aiding and abetting second-degree murder, for his involvement in 2020 police violence that led to the death of George Floyd.
According to reports, Thomas was the former Minneapolis police officer who pinned George’s legs to the ground while he told them that he could not breathe.
He got his sentencing this month after he pleaded guilty to the second-degree manslaughter charge in May. In exchange for his plea, the state prosecutors excluded the “abetting second-degree unintentional murder” charge.
If he was charged with second-degree murder, he would have gotten a mandatory 12-year sentence. From the sentencing, he might only serve three years in jail, at most.
Judge Peter Cahill ruled on Wednesday that Lane will serve his state sentence concurrently with his federal sentence, which is 2.5 years in jail for violating George Floyd’s civil rights.
As part of Wednesday’s ruling, Judge Cahill granted Thomas 31 days already served. The former cop also won’t have to pay restitution.
Thomas admitted in May that he helped Derek restrain George in a way that created an unreasonable risk. Additionally, Lane admitted that he heard George say he couldn’t breathe, recognized when George became silent, had no pulse, and appeared to lose consciousness.
In a statement, the Judge said:
“I think it was a very wise decision for you to accept responsibility and move on with your life. He also acknowledged that Floyd’s family hasn’t been able to move on.
