During Thursday’s hearing, Judge Magnuson said Lane had a “minimal role” in the incident, adding that he is a person of “excellent character”. The judge also noted that he received 145 letters in support of Lane. “It’s not unusual to get letters. But I’ve never received so many,” he said. In addition to the prison sentence, Lane will also be ordered to pay mandatory restitution in an amount to be determined and be placed on supervised probation for two years after serving his sentence. Lane declined to make a statement in court. Former Minneapolis police officers Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng face state and federal charges for their actions — or lack thereof — in May 2020 when their colleague Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck and back of Floyd, who was handcuffed and lying on his stomach, for more than nine minutes. Lane, a rookie officer on his fourth day on the job, held Floyd’s legs during the arrest, while Kueng held his torso and Tao stood nearby and held back a crowd of upset bystanders. In federal court earlier this year, Lane testified that he twice asked Chauvin to reposition Floyd while restraining him, but both times he refused. Lane, Thao and Kueng were each convicted of violating Floyd’s rights during the lethal restraint. Thao and Kueng were also found guilty of an additional federal charge earlier this year for failing to intervene to stop Chauvin. No sentencing date has been set for Thou and Kueng. In court Thursday, Floyd’s brother Filonise spoke about the consequences of Lane’s actions. “Our family was sentenced to death on May 25, we will never get George back,” she said. “Officer Lane did not intervene one way or the other,” he added. In addition, Lane pleaded guilty in state court to aiding and abetting second-degree murder last month. The Minnesota attorney general’s office and defense attorneys jointly recommended to the court a three-year sentence, according to Ellison’s office. Lane is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 21 on the state charge, according to the court. As part of the plea agreement, Lane’s sentence on the state charge will run concurrently with his federal sentence and he will serve time in a federal institution, his attorney, Earl Gray, said last month. You and Kueng also face a state trial scheduled for late October on charges of accessory to second-degree involuntary manslaughter and accessory to second-degree murder. They pleaded not guilty. Chauvin was convicted last year of murder and manslaughter in a state trial and sentenced to more than 22 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights in December and was sentenced to 21 years in prison earlier this month. Chauvin’s federal sentence will run concurrently with his state sentence. CNN’s Eric Levenson contributed to this report.
