One of the four former Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of George Floyd pleaded guilty to a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter Wednesday morning.
Thomas Lane, 39, will have one count of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder, a state charge with a maximum prison sentence of 40 years, dismissed as a part of the plea deal.
The prosecution, the State of Minnesota, and the defense have jointly recommended a sentence of 3 years in the plea deal, served concurrent with Lane’s federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights, which is yet to be determined.
Lane’s potential 36-month sentence, according to a probation referral published by the Minnesota court on Wednesday, represents a “downward duration departure of 5 months,” meaning that Lane’s sentence is five months shorter in duration than what state guidelines would prescribe under normal circumstances….