AG Barr rejected plea deal proposed by Chauvin in George Floyd death

An official stated that Chauvin's lawyers were attempting to rush the Department of Justice

Feb 12, 2021

A plea deal was rejected in the case of former police officer Derek Chauvin who held a knee on George Floyd‘s neck that contributed to his death.

Chauvin agreed to a plea three days after Floyd’s death last May, the New York Times reported. He agreed to a guilty plea of murder in the third-degree and spend 10 years in prison but the deal was ultimately rejected.

Officials at the Department of Justice said the deal was presented too soon, NBC News reported. Chauvin is trying to avoid federal civil rights charges and requested to serve time in federal prison.

Derek Chauvin thegrio.com — Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin poses for a mugshot after being charged in the death of George Floyd. Eight correctional officers have filed a lawsuit against Ramsey County Adult Detention Center after the facility reassigned them once Chauvin arrived. (Photo by Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images)

“His lawyers were trying to rush us, and we didn’t want to be rushed,” an official said to NBC News.

Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder after he held his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes. Floyd then passed away but his death sparked worldwide protests against police brutality. He is set to stand trial in March.

A spokeswoman for the Hennepin County attorney’s office said presenting an early deal is common.

Bill Barr thegrio.com — U.S. Attorney General William Barr (Photo by Jeff Roberson – Pool/Getty Images)

“As is typical in many cases, early negotiations can occur between all relevant parties involved,” said Lacey Severins to NBC News. “Many times, a defendant will explore their options with a negotiation. It is also common for these types of discussions to happen in the beginning of a case and then have no agreed upon negotiations develop. This case was no different. Negotiations were discussed, nothing developed.”

Former Attorney General William Barr rejected the deal because he believed it was too early to strike a deal and too lenient.

“As part of the deal, officials now say, he was willing to go to prison for more than 10 years,” per The New York Times.”Local officials, scrambling to end the community’s swelling anger, scheduled a news conference to announce the deal.”

Barr also rejected the plea because he wanted state officials to have enough time to look over the case.

The other three officers involved were charged with aiding and abetting. They will face trial over the summer.

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