Ex-Minneapolis police officer sentenced to 3 years in George Floyd’s murder

By Janelle Griffith, NBC News

Thomas Lane, a former Minneapolis police officer who pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison.

Lane held down Floyd’s legs as he cried out that he couldn’t breathe, while another former officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes on May 25, 2020. Lane pleaded guilty in May to a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. State prosecutors and Lane’s attorney had jointly recommended a three-year sentence — which is below the sentencing guidelines.

The hearing was held via WebEx to accommodate Lane, who is serving a 30-month sentence at a federal prison in Colorado, after a jury found him guilty on a federal charge of violating Floyd’s rights by not providing him with medical care after Chauvin knelt on his neck. Lane reported to the prison facility late last month, according to a court order made public Tuesday.

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Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank read a statement on behalf of Floyd’s family: “Some people may believe time heals all and while I generally believe that saying, it’s challenging to do so given these unfathomable set of circumstances. My family and I had to suffer through public grieving with the rest of the world who witnessed my uncle being brutally murdered with the assistance of former officer Thomas Lane.”

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Previously, Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd.

We’ve covered this and similar cases in our breaking news.