Ex-cops in Floyd death claim witness coercion, harm of leak

This combination of photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, shows from left, Minneapolis Police Officers Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. Chauvin. (Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Attorneys for three former Minneapolis officers awaiting trial in George Floyd’s death will be in court Thursday to argue pretrial motions.

Those include a request that prosecutors be sanctioned after media reports that Derek Chauvin had planned to plead guilty a year ago. Another claims that prosecutors haven’t disclosed information about the alleged coercion of a witness — the Hennepin County medical examiner who testified about what was found in an autopsy of Floyd.

Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao face trial in August on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.