A Minnesota judge has dismissed a third-degree murder charge filed against Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck till he died.
Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill’s ruling was made public Thursday. Chauvin now faces two counts going forward: second-degree murder and manslaughter.
Three other former officers, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. All three had requested to have charges against them dismissed, but Judge Peter Cahill on Thursday ruled against that request.
In August, Derek Chauvin asked a judge to dismiss his charges, with his attorneys arguing there was not sufficient evidence against him.
Prosecutors have maintained that George Floyd was vulnerable as he was handcuffed with his chest pressed against the ground and he was treated with particular cruelty.
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Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office has also noted that the former officers were in a position of authority at the time and “inflicted gratuitous pain on Mr. Floyd” as witnesses, including multiple children, watched.
Cahill has yet to rule on a possible change of venue, and whether the four trials will be joined or held separately.