J. Alexander Kueng, one of the four former Minneapolis police officers implicated in the death of George Floyd, is slated for release from prison this Wednesday.
Kueng, who has been serving a sentence of three-and-a-half years for aiding and abetting manslaughter, is expected to exit the low-security Elkton Correctional Institution in Ohio.
As reported by The Post Millennial, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed Kueng's impending release, noting that federal inmates typically serve 85 percent of their sentences. However, they added, "there is leeway with the First Step Act and other factors." Upon his release, Kueng is set to return to Minnesota, where he will be placed under supervised release, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections. State law stipulates that most offenders serve two-thirds of their sentences in prison, with the remainder of the sentence being served on supervised release. Kueng's supervised release is expected to last until March 2026.
The death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, ignited nationwide protests about race relations and police brutality. Police officer Derek Chauvin was alleged to have knelt on Floyd's neck for 9-and-a-half minutes, leading to his death. Kueng was accused of aiding in subduing Floyd while he was restrained on the ground. Former officer Thomas Lane was alleged to have held Floyds legs, while Tou Thao was convicted for preventing bystanders from intervening in the arrest, according to CBS News.
All four officers were dismissed from their duties and subsequently convicted on both state and federal charges. Lane was released from prison in August 2023 after serving a 2.5-year federal sentence. Thao was sentenced to nearly five years in prison. Chauvin, convicted of murder and manslaughter, is currently serving a 22.5-year sentence for state charges and an additional 21-year sentence for federal civil rights violations.
In a recent development, Chauvin won a victory during his appeal, and his attorneys will be able to review autopsy records that may indicate that Chauvin's arrest was not the cause of death. This development underscores the complexities of the case, which continues to reverberate through the American justice system and society at large.
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