Amy Forliti
AOL.com
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Past articles by Amy:
Ex-cop Lane gets 3 years in plea deal for aiding Floyd death
A former Minneapolis police officer who pleaded guilty to a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd was sentenced Wednesday to three years. Thomas Lane is already serving a 2 1/2-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights. When it comes to the state’s case, prosecutors and Lane’s attorneys had agreed to a recommended sentence of… → Read More
Sharpton: Without no-knock warrant, Locke would be alive
The Rev. Al Sharpton told the hundreds gathered Thursday for Amir Locke's funeral that the 22-year-old Black man would still be alive if Minneapolis had banned no-knock warrants. Sharpton was among several speakers who paid tribute to Locke and other Black people who have died in encounters with police. Along with song and prayer, the service at Shiloh Temple International Ministries included… → Read More
Judge sentences cop who killed Daunte Wright to 2 years
The former suburban Minneapolis police officer who said she confused her handgun for her Taser when she fatally shot Daunte Wright was sentenced Friday to two years in prison, a penalty below state guidelines after the judge found mitigating factors warranted a lesser sentence. Kim Potter was convicted in December of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 killing of Wright, a… → Read More
Attorney: Family 'flabbergasted' by killing of Amir Locke
The parents of Amir Locke and their attorneys said Friday that the 22-year-old Black man was “executed” by a Minneapolis SWAT team that woke him from a deep sleep, and that he reached in confusion for a legal firearm to protect himself. Locke’s parents, Andre Locke and Karen Wells, described him as respectful, including to police, and said some of their relatives work in law enforcement. Wells… → Read More
EXPLAINER: What will judge weigh in sentencing Kim Potter?
The former Minneapolis police officer who said she confused her handgun for her Taser when she killed Daunte Wright will be sentenced in February after a jury convicted her Thursday on two counts of manslaughter. → Read More
Jury reaches outcome in trial over Daunte Wright’s killing
The jury reached a trial outcome Thursday in the manslaughter trial of the suburban Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Black motorist Daunte Wright after she says she mistook her gun for her Taser. The jury began deliberations in the case against Kim Potter on Monday. State sentencing guidelines call for just over seven years in prison upon conviction of first-degree manslaughter and… → Read More
Jurors in Kim Potter trial ask about not reaching verdict
Jurors weighing the case of the suburban Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Black motorist Daunte Wright asked the judge after a full day of deliberations Tuesday what they should do if they can’t reach a verdict. Former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter, who is white, is charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter. If convicted of the most serious charge, Potter, 49, would… → Read More
Acquitted and in demand, Rittenhouse ponders what's next
When he was acquitted of murder in shootings during unrest in Wisconsin, Kyle Rittenhouse went from staring at possible life behind bars to red-hot star of the right: an exclusive interview with Tucker Carlson and a visit with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago capped by a photo of both men smiling and snapping a thumbs-up. For Rittenhouse, a year of legal uncertainty over whether his claim of… → Read More
Charges: Man "snapped," killed 4, then left bodies in field
An Arizona man who allegedly told his father he “snapped and shot a couple of people" was charged Tuesday with murder, about a week after four bodies were found in an abandoned SUV in western Wisconsin, according to a criminal complaint. Antoine Suggs, 38, of Scottsdale, Arizona, faces four counts of second-degree intentional murder, without premeditation. Suggs turned himself in to Gilbert,… → Read More
Hearing in Floyd death to debate broadcast of ex-cops' trial
Attorneys for two former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd's death are asking a judge to bar their upcoming trial from being livestreamed. → Read More
Officer charged in Daunte Wright death to stand trial Dec. 6
A Minnesota judge ruled Monday that the manslaughter case can proceed against Kim Potter, who fatally shot the 20-year-old Black motorist last month, and she set a trial date for Dec. 6. → Read More
Ruling paves way for longer sentence in George Floyd's death
A Minnesota judge has ruled that there were aggravating factors in the death of George Floyd, paving the way for a longer sentence for Derek Chauvin, according to an order made public Wednesday. In his ruling, Judge Peter Cahill found that Chauvin abused his authority as a police officer when he restrained Floyd last year, and that he treated Floyd with particular cruelty. Chauvin, who is white,… → Read More
4 ex-cops indicted on U.S. civil rights charges in Floyd death
A federal grand jury has indicted the four former Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd’s arrest and death, accusing them of violating the Black man’s constitutional rights as he was restrained face-down on the pavement and gasping for air, according to indictments unsealed Friday. Specifically, Chauvin, Thao and Kueng are charged with violating Floyd’s right to be free from… → Read More
Court record: Chauvin to be sentenced June 16 in Floyd death
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murder and manslaughter for pressing his knee against the neck of George Floyd as the Black man said he couldn't breathe, will be sentenced in June, according to an online court docket for the case. Online records say Chauvin will be sentenced June 16 at 1:30 p.m., by Peter Cahill, the Hennepin County judge who oversaw the trial… → Read More
What next after Chauvin's conviction on 3 counts?
The former Minneapolis officer found guilty on all charges relating to George Floyd's death is now in custody as he awaits sentence. → Read More
Chauvin won't testify at murder trial in Floyd's death
Chauvin informed the court that he would not testify, saying he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right not to take the stand. It would have been the first time Chauvin publicly told his side of the story. “It is, your honor,” Chauvin said. → Read More
Expert: Chauvin did not take actions of 'reasonable officer'
Prosecutors’ case against former Officer Derek Chauvin drew toward a close Monday with tender memories from George Floyd’s younger brother, along with another look at the harrowing video and testimony from a use-of-force expert who said no “reasonable” officer would have done what Chauvin did. Seth Stoughton, a professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law, judged Chauvin's actions… → Read More
2 jurors dropped from Chauvin trial after $27M settlement
A judge on Wednesday dismissed two jurors who had been seated for the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer in George Floyd’s death over fears that the jurors had been tainted by the city’s announcement last week of a $27 million settlement to Floyd’s family. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill recalled seven jurors and was questioning each one in turn to find out what they knew about the… → Read More
Jury selection is 1st battleground at trial in Floyd's death
The fate of a former Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck as the Black man said he couldn’t breathe will be decided by 12 Hennepin County residents picked after extensive grilling about their views on police and the justice system. Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of Derek Chauvin, who is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s… → Read More
Prosecutors: Officer was on Floyd's neck for about 9 minutes
As the trial approaches for a white Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the death of George Floyd, prosecutors are putting the time Derek Chauvin’s knee was on the Black man's neck at about nine minutes. The fact that the figure has evolved probably won't matter at Chauvin’s trial, which begins Monday with jury selection. One former prosecutor says it’s common for such details to… → Read More