George Floyd’s murder launched the word into a state of outrage. The video showing Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck and eventually killing him sparked the international explosion of large-scale protests, activism, and media coverage. Chauvin has finally been sentenced with second degree murder and could receive up to 40 years. Although he will be in jail for a while, Minnesota is not among the states that have laws in place preventing employees convicted of work-related felony crimes from receiving pensions, so he may have a considerably large pension to look forward to in a few years.

Chauvin, 44, will be eligible to file for pension when he turns 50. A CNN analysis based on his tenure, contract details, 2019 payroll data, Minneapolis Police Department salary schedules and pension plan guidance suggests that he would receive payments of approximately $50,000 a year or more if he decided to wait till age 55 to file.

Over a period of 30 years, Chauvin’s benefits could increase to $1.5 million or more, and likely even more than that once any increases in cost of living are factored in. If he received significant amounts of overtime in the past, he stands to gain even higher payments.

Public pensions, which are funded through taxpayers as well as workers and investment returns, are almost impossible to rescind from workers.“Neither our Board nor our staff have the discretion to increase, decrease, deny or revoke benefits. Any changes to current law would need to be done through the legislative process,” stated a spokeswoman.

The possibility of Chauvin receiving such a large benefit will likely serve as a call to action for system reform as people will continue to demand the defunding of police departments and improved money distribution to social services including youth, special needs, and community development.

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According to some new sources, ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, charged with the second-degree murder of George Floyd, was in the process of negotiating a plea deal with federal and state prosecutors prior to his arrest.

Sources close to the situation say the deal was intended to be a “universal deal” that included state murder charges in addition to federal civil rights charges. Negotiations for the deal delayed a May 28th FBI press conference by two hours. During the delayed press conference, U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald shared, “I thought we would have another development to talk to you about, but we don’t.” 

The deal, which ultimately fell through, likely would have required Chauvin to plead guilty.  

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office confirmed a deal with Chauvin in the works, but the negotiations ultimately failed. “There were early negotiations with the defendant (Derek Chauvin), between the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney,” said Hennepin County Attorney spokesperson Chuck Laszewski. Details as to why the deal fell through, the actual terms of the deal, and who walked away from it are all still unclear at this time.

The next day, Friday, May 29th, Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder by the Hennepin County Attorney. The charges have since been bumped to second-degree murder, and the three other officers involved are also facing charges. 

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As investigators are piecing together the cases being made against the four officers involved in the death of George Floyd, a co-worker of the slain 46-year-old is speaking out. Soon after Floyd’s death, it was reported that he and Derek Chauvin, the disgraced ex-police officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, knew his victim. The two men reportedly worked at a nightclub together, and now one of their coworkers has come forward with claims that Chauvin and Floyd didn’t get along.

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“They bumped head,” David Pinney said. “It has a lot to do with Derek being extremely aggressive within the club with some of the patrons, which was an issue.” The news station went onto say that the Floyd family believes that the kneeling incident that led to the death of George Floyd was “personal.” There’s also no doubt in Pinney’s mind that Derek Chauvin knew exactly who he was kneeling on. 

“No, he knew him,” Pinney continued. “Pretty well.” Maya Santamaria, the owner of the nightclub where Chavin and Floyd worked together, also said that Chauvin seemed “afraid and intimidated” by black people. According to Santamaria, when he was off-duty, Chauvin was paid to sit outside of El Nuevo Rodeo inside of his squad car. George Floyd worked security inside, and both men were on duty on Tuesday evenings.

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A bloody pig head on a spike was found by Los Angeles Police officers outside of the department’s Rampart Station, a division notorious for its late-90s corruption and police brutality scandals. It is currently unclear who placed the head at the station or if it was intended as a threat. 

The Pig’s head discovery comes amidst large-scale global protests against police brutality and George Floyd’s death. While Derek Chauvin and the other Minneapolis officers involved have been fired and charged, protesters are demanding further reforms to law enforcement practices and the American criminal justice system, as Floyd’s family is seeing a surge of financial support and lawmakers are proposing new legislation aimed at eliminating police brutality. 

Given the high tensions surrounding recent protests and numerous documentedincidents of police violence, the LAPD is reportedly approaching the situation extra cautiously, currently reviewing surveillance footage in an attempt to identify the perpetrator. In the meantime, TMZ reports that LAPD officers, under the direction of Chief Michel Moore who recently blamed George Floyd’s death on looters leading to calls for his resignation, have now been advised to maintain a low profile while off duty, in order to avoid further confrontations with the public.

Drake has already issued his take on this interview between Thomas Lane's lawyer and CNN host Chris Cuomo, but there's quite a bit more to unpack from it.

Lane, one of the four police officers responsible for the death of George Floyd, had his lawyer, Earl Gray conduct an interview with Chris Cuomo where they discussed Lane's defense and the case. The interview resulted in a few incendiary remarks on Gray's side.

Gray attempted to flip things so that was it the public's fault that Floyd died, which Cuomo stopped immediately to counter. "If the public is there and they're so in an uproar about this, they didn't intercede either," Gray said, referring to those who witnessed and filmed the murder. 

"I understand that he has a senior officer telling him what to do, but he also has a duty to intervene," Cuomo said. "The idea that the civilians should have rushed in to a policing situation in the inner city of Minneapolis against four police officers that have weapons and are kneeling on the kneck of a man- don't you think that's asking too much of civilians and a little too little of your client?"

Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Getty Images & Ramsey County Sheriff's Office Getty Images 

Gray doesn't seem to have anything else to say in response to Cuomo's remarks but agree. "Absolutely," he said before stumbling over his words, "I just brought that up..." You can watch this particular clip in the tweet below.

Lane is among the four Minneapolis police officers who have been charged in the murder of George Floyd. Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, J.A. Kueng and Derek Chauvin were on the scene, and did nothing while Floyd pleaded in his last breathes, and told them: “I can’t breathe.”

Chauvin was arrested first, quickly after the video went viral. From there, as protests erupted (and continue in their second week) across the country, the three other officers were also handed down arrest warrants, and now remain locked up on $1 million bail, while Chauvin’s bail has been set at $1.25 million.

Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office Getty Images

Lane, alongside his two former colleagues Thao and Kueng, were charged with aiding and abetting in Floyd’s death. Lane and Kueng have both attempted to wash their hands of the charge, by casting blame solely on Chauvin.

Last night, Lane’s lawyer, Earl Gray, did an interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo where he used a similar method of deflecting the blame from his client– by casting the blame on those civilians who witnessed the whole murder unfold. Yes, Gray actually said: “If the public is there and they’re so in an uproar about this, they didn’t intercede either.”

Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Getty Images

Now, TMZ has reported that Lane is actually asking for the public to help fund his defense. It seems unbelievable, but reportedly Lane and his family have set up a website, where they’re soliciting donations. The website attempts to make a case for Lane’s defense as well, bringing up several points that Gray also iterated in last night’s interview. Things like: Lane was the one who suggested they roll Floyd over on his side (but they didn’t), as well as the fact that Lane called the ambulance for Floyd, and attempted to perform CPR on him when the ambulance arrived.

Ultimately, Lane says that he did everything that the chain of command allowed him to do.

What do you think of this latest development? 

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The murder of George Floyd was all too familiar. With a knee pressing against Floyd’s neck, Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd in broad day. Protests across the world have demanded justice, but even after Chauvin and the three other officers were arrested and charged, that’s only the first part of this battle.

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Per CNN, Chauvin appeared in court virtually from Oak Park Heights prison where he faced Judge Jeannice Reding. The judge accepted the prosecutors’ motion to set an unconditional bail at $1.25M. Conditional bail was set at $1M with conditions including that he has no other run-in with the law, making future appearances, does not work in any security of law enforcement field in any capacity, handing over any firearms, ammunition, and any permits. He’s also required to stay within Minnesota and have no contact with George Floyd’s family. Additionally, he must waive extradition after his release. His defense had not opposed this motion in court.

Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, though prosecutors also added a second-degree murder charge in an amended filing. Chauvin was caught on camera putting his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly 9-minutes. The other three officers in the case have also been arrested and charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. We’ll keep you updated on more news surrounding this case. 

Following the tragic killing of George Floyd, Ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder, a charge since upgraded from the initial third-degree charge. Not only that, but Chauvin was also charged with second-degree manslaughter; the other three officers involved in Floyd’s death, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao, received aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and aiding and second-degree manslaughter.

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Today, Chauvin is set to make his first court appearance, albeit by way of a video call. He’s set to face the judge at the Hennepin County District Court this afternoon, at 12:45 p.m. It should be noted that the world will be watching this one closely, as footage of Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for nine minutes has been sadly seared into many people’s memories. To say there is public pressure on getting this one right is an understatement.

As stated earlier, the charges originally filed against Chauvin were third-degree. On Wednesday, Attorney General Keith Ellison announced he was elevating the charges, in itself a positive sign that justice will be served. “The very fact that we have filed these charges means that we believe in them,” maintained Ellison, speaking on his decision. Keep an eye out for Chauvin’s court appearance to take place this afternoon; we’ll be sure to have the developments as they transpire. 

Derek Chauvin is a name everyone in the United States knows now as he is the man who was caught on camera killing George Floyd. Chauvin's actions have sparked protests all throughout the country as people are hoping for answers and a change to the system. As it stands, Chauvin is facing second-degree, third-degree, and manslaughter charges that could effectively put him in jail for the rest of his life.

In a Twitter thread posted by Danny Rivero on Friday, it was revealed that Chauvin has a history of illegally voting in US elections. During the 2016 and 2018 elections, Chauvin reportedly voted in Florida despite claiming residence and paying taxes in Minnesota. While he had a home in Orange County Florida, he technically isn't allowed to vote there. This is a third-degree felony and can lead to significant jail time.

J Alexander Kueng and Thomas K. Lane, two of the former Minneapolis police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd, are casting sole blame on Derek Chauvin for the 46-year-old Black man’s death on their watch. On Thursday (June 4th), all three officers charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter made their first court appearance in the case. Both Kueng and Lane’s attorneys are rejecting the accusations that their client played any critical role in the killing of Floyd, who died after former officer Chauvin knelt on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds until he stopped breathing.

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“What is my client supposed to do but follow what the [senior] officer says?” Lane’s attorney, Earl Gray, argued in court. “The strength of this case, your honor, in my opinion is extremely weak.” 

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Video shows Lane, a rookie officer who was working his fourth day as a full-time officer on the day of Floyd’s death, restraining Floyd’s legs as Chauvin choked him with his knee. Keung, working his third shift ever as a full-time officer, kept a firm grip of Floyd’s back as he pleaded for mercy.

“What was [Lane] supposed to do…go up to Mr. Chauvin and grab him and throw him off?” asked Gray. He argued that there was no evidence to charge his client. Kueng’s attorney, Thomas Plunkett, attempted to make a similar argument. “At all times Mr. Kueng and Mr. Lane turned their attention to that 19-year veteran,” Plunkett noted. “[Kueng] was trying — they were trying to communicate that this situation needs to change direction.”

Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Getty Images

According to charging documents, Lane had asked Chauvin twice if they should roll Floyd onto his side, but he was shut down. At one point, Kueng took Floyd’s pulse but “couldn’t find one,” according to the criminal complaint.

“We recognize the statements that this defendant made,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank, the prosecutor on this case, regarding Lane, “but beyond that, [he] did nothing but hold the victim down [and] started CPR too late.”

Chauvin is facing charges second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter charges. His bail has been set at $1 million, and he is scheduled to make his first court appearance in the case on Monday, June 8th.