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Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin plans to change his not-guilty plea on federal civil rights charges related to last year's murder of George Floyd, a court filing indicated Monday. The U.S. District Court in Minnesota issued a notice that Chauvin will appear in court at 9 a.m. Wednesday to enter a new plea on charges of using the "color of the law" to deprive Floyd of his right to be free from the use of unreasonable force.
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Chauvin, along with fellow former Minneapolis officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, earlier this year were indicted on federal civil rights charges in connection with the videotaped death of Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
They each pleaded not guilty in September.
The shocking images of Chauvin pinning down Floyd with a knee on his neck for more than 9 minutes while the other three did nothing to stop him sparked nationwide protests and demands for the reform of police departments.
Chauvin is serving a 22.5-year prison sentence after he was convicted in June on state charges of murdering Floyd. Kueng, Lane and Thao also face state charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, to which they have each pleaded not guilty.
In a separate case, Chauvin has also pleaded not guilty to violating the civil rights of a 14-year-old boy in 2017. In that instance, the Justice Department alleges the former officer held the teen by the throat and struck him multiple times in the head with a flashlight during an arrest.
