Former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao has been found guilty of a charge of aiding and abetting in manslaughter, stemming from the 2020 death of George Floyd.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill issued the guilty verdict Monday night, writing in his decision, "The verdict is based on the finding of fact and conclusions of law."
The verdict comes almost three years after Floyd's death on May 25, 2020, at the hands of police officers sparked nationwide protests.
Former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao arrives for sentencing for violating George Floyds civil rights outside the Federal Courthouse in St. Paul, Minn., July 27, 2022.
Star Tribune Via Getty Images/Star Tribune via Getty Images, FILE
Thao is the last of the four fired Minneapolis police officers to be found guilty in the case.
"The conviction of Tou Thao is historic and the right outcome," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement. "It brings one more measure of accountability in the tragic death of George Floyd. Accountability is not justice, but it is a step on the road to justice."
Cahill has set Thao's sentencing date for Aug. 7.
Thao's sentence is expected to range from 41 to 57 months in prison.
The 37-year-old Thao has already been convicted on federal charges of violating Floyd's civil rights and is currently serving a 3 1/2-year prison sentence.
Thao is one of four former officers to face both state and federal charges in Floyd's death, including 47-year-old Derek Chauvin, who was captured on security video and witness cellphone footage digging his knee into the back of Floyd's neck for more than 9 minutes, rendering the handcuffed and prone man unconscious and without a pulse.
Floyd was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
"While we have now reached the end of the prosecution of Floyd’s murder, it is not behind us," Ellison said in the statement. "There is much more that prosecutors, law-enforcement leaders, rank-and-file officers, elected officials, and community can do to bring about true justice in law enforcement and true trust and safety in all communities."
Ellison called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to combat police misconduct and abuse, and to prevent racial bias in policing.
A photograph of George Floyd is displayed along with other photographs at the "Say Their Names" memorial exhibit at Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade, July 20, 2021, in San Diego, Calif.
Mario Tama/Getty Images, FILE
A Hennepin County jury convicted Chauvin, the senior officer involved in Floyd's death, in April 2021 of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Cahill, who presided over Chauvin's trial, sentenced the veteran cop to 22 1/2 years in prison.
Chauvin later pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating Floyd's civil rights and was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison, which he is serving concurrently with his state sentence.
Former officers J. Alexander Kueng, 28, and Thomas Lane, 40, both pleaded guilty last year to state charges of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter after they were convicted along with Thao in the federal case.
Lane and Kueng are both serving 2 1/2-year prison sentences in the federal case. Lane also received a sentence of three years in the state case, while Kueng was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in the state case.
On Oct. 24, 2022, the day the state trial was set to begin for Lane, Kueng pleaded guilty. On the same day, Thao opted to proceed with the trial, but said didn't want a jury to render a verdict. He asked Cahill to decide his fate.
On Memorial Day 2020, all four officers responded to a Cups Food store in Minneapolis on a complaint that Floyd attempted to use a fake $20 bill to buy cigarettes. When the handcuffed Floyd resisted getting into the back of a police SUV, Lane, Kueng and Chauvin held him in a prone position on the pavement as Thao stood by keeping witnesses at bay, according to evidence in the case.
"Nearly three years ago, the images of a police officer murdering George Floyd shocked the world, shattered our community, and devastated those who knew and loved him," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement released after Cahill's guilty verdict in Thao's case was filed. "Today, the person who aided in the murder by preventing community members from helping Mr. Floyd has been found guilty and held accountable. I hope today’s verdict is another step on the path toward healing for George Floyd’s family."
