Former Minneapolis officer Tou Thao was sentenced to 57 months in prison for his role in the 2020 death of George Floyd, six months longer than what prosecutors recommended.
The sentence comes months after he was found guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
In his 177-page ruling, [Judge Peter] Cahill said Thao's actions separated Chauvin and two other former officers from the crowd, including an emergency medical technician, allowing his colleagues to continue restraining Floyd and preventing bystanders from providing medical aid.
'There is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Thao´s actions were objectively unreasonable from the perspective of a reasonable police officer, when viewed under the totality of the circumstances,' Cahill wrote.
He concluded: 'Thao's actions were even more unreasonable in light of the fact that he was under a duty to intervene to stop the other officers' excessive use of force and was trained to render medical aid.' […]
Thao previously rejected a plea bargain on the state charge, claiming 'it would be lying' to plead guilty when he didn't think he was in the wrong.
He instead agreed to let Cahill decide the case based on evidence from Chauvin's 2021 murder trial and the federal civil rights trial in 2022 of Lane and Kueng. (Daily Mail)
“I did not commit these crimes,” Thao said at the sentencing hearing. “My conscience is clear. I will not be a Judas nor join a mob in self-preservation or betray my God.”
Judge Peter Cahill appeared stunned by his remarks.
“After three years of reflection, I was hoping for a little more remorse, regret, acknowledgement of some responsibility — and less preaching” he said.
Conservatives blasted the sentence Thao received.
Tou Thao did nothing wrong. This is not justice.
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 8, 2023
Tou Thao: "I did not commit these crimes. My conscience is clear. I will not be a Judas nor join a mob in self-preservation or betray my God."
Judge Peter Cahill: "I was hoping for remorse? Regret? Acknowledgement of some… pic.twitter.com/8OgZXzjrly
These psychopaths will release dangerous thugs back onto the streets but they’ll send a cop to prison for merely being in the vicinity when a violent drug addict died while resisting arrest https://t.co/ccegivkaOX
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) August 8, 2023
Democrats are still lynching people. This man is innocent but they don’t care. Judge put on robes like a klansman and destroyed an innocent life. https://t.co/lo6mNwqCCW
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) August 7, 2023
This is wrong. We cannot have two standards of justice depending on the political circumstances of the alleged “crime.” https://t.co/LSuA2puDuD
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) August 8, 2023
If ever you wonder why some cities feel like they’ve been turned over to degenerate criminals, watch this clip where a cop who was *present* for the death of George Floyd is sentenced to almost 5 years in prison. This is a big part of why good people can’t walk down the street… https://t.co/RHdJp0Iece
— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) August 7, 2023
This is insane. He did nothing wrong. https://t.co/s1G3J1FIeh
— Gavin Mario Wax 🇺🇸 🗽🍊 (@GavinWax) August 8, 2023