On Saturday, Tou Thao, one of the four ex-officers charged with the murder of George Floyd, was released from jail on a $750,000 bond, according to Hennepin County records.
Thao is now the third ex-officer to leave custody. J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane posted their $750,000 bails, in June. Derek Chauvin, the ex-officer who was filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck for almost 9 minutes, is still behind bars on a $1 million bond.
Thao, Lane and Kueng have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, in addition to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
As previously reported, Judge Peter Cahill set a date of March 8th for the trial of officer Derek Chauvin. The location of the trial is said to be “determined at a later date.”
Though court docs show all defendants are scheduled to appear in court on that day, whether or not they’ll be tried together or separately will also be “determined at a later date.”
If you recall, Judge Peter Cahill placed a gag order on those involved from commenting on “the evidence, what we see as merits of the case or what we see as a person’s guilt or innocence, according to defense lawyer Robert Paule–attorney for Tou Thao.
An attorney for J. Alexander Kueng stated there were “multiple and inappropriate public comments” by prosecutors and other officials, according to the New York Post.
“The State’s conduct has made a fair and unbiased trial extremely unlikely and the Defendants seek video and audio coverage to let a cleansing light shine on these proceedings,” lawyer Thomas Plunkett wrote in legal papers.
Roomies, we’ll keep you updated as this case develops.
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