He, Kueng, Lane and Thao face federal civil rights charges.  A federal grand jury indicted the four former Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd’s death. They have been accused of willfully violating the George Floy’s constitutional rights because Office Chauvin restrained his face-down on the pavement and gasping for air by holding is knee on his beck for over 9 minutes.

The attorney for the three officers charged for their part in George Floyd’s deadly arrest argues aiding and abetting third-degree murder was not possible. The attorney appeared in front of the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Thursday.

Attorney Deborah Ellis, representing the three officers, raised what Judge Renee Worke called a novel theory: that because Chauvin was convicted under the “depraved mind” element of Minnesota’s third-degree murder statute, aiding, and abetting that crime was a legal impossibility.

“While an accomplice can aid a negligent act or even a reckless act, it takes more than that to aid and abet a third-degree depraved mind, because you would have to intentionally aid – indifference, really, it’s an irrational frame of mind of somebody else,” Ellis said. Source Courthouse News

Chauvin was charged in a second indictment, in a case occurring in 2017with the use of force and neck restraint of a 14-year-old boy.

Eric Nelson, a Chauvin’s attorney argued during his murder trial that Chauvin acted reasonably and Floyd died because of underlying health issues and drug use. A request for a new trial is awaiting.

Photo Credit Hennepin County Sheriff