Did William Barr block Derek Chauvin’s attempt to plead guilty to murdering George Floyd in 2020?
Ex-police officer Derek Chauvin was prepared to plea guilty to third-degree murder just days after choking George Floyd to death last May. But Chauvin’s plea deal was rejected by then-Attorney General William Barr, the New York Times confirmed with three law enforcement officials in February 2021.
Officials told the New York Times that Chauvin sought the deal to avoid federal civil rights charges, while Barr rejected the deal to avoid appearing too “lenient.”
These findings were independently corroborated by Justice Department officials to NBC News and law enforcement officials to AP News.
Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on April 20, 2021. Chauvin pressed his knee to George Floyd’s neck for nine consecutive minutes, while Floyd repeatedly pleaded that he couldn’t breathe.