State Trial Postponed For Officers Accused Of George Floyd’s Death
The state trial for two former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd has been postponed until early next year.
According to CBS Minnesota, on Monday (June 6), the Hennepin County judge overseeing the case ruled that J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao’s trial will be continued until the morning of January 5, with jury selection beginning on January 9 and opening statements on January 30.
Initially, the trial was set to begin on June 13. Both Kueng and Thao are charged with aiding and abetting the 46-year-old’s murder.
Judge Peter Cahill’s decision follows a motion filed by the defense requesting to change the venue or to continue the trial date. The court agreed that postponing the trial will diminish the impact of a third former officer involved, Thomas Lane’s guilty plea and all three men’s convictions in a federal trial earlier this year.
The motion to change venue was denied by the court. The judge also denied a motion by a coalition of media organizations to reconsider his April decision to prohibit live audiovisual coverage of the proceedings from gavel to gavel. Cahill acknowledged, however, that he may reconsider if the Minnesota state court system revises its rules on cameras in the courts by January 4.
