South FL Man Pleads Guilty To Threatening To Kill Derek Chauvin’s Lawyer: DOJ

MIAMI, FL — A South Florida man pled guilty Wednesday to threatening the defense attorney of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted in June of murdering George Floyd, the Department of Justice said in a news release.

Chauvin, a white former officer, was convicted in April of second and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the murder of Floyd, a Black man. He was sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison.

During a hearing in federal district court, William John Hartnett, 42, of Coral Gables admitted to U.S. District Judge Donald L. Graham that on April 6 he called the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association in St. Paul, an organization that funded Chauvin’s defense, from Miami.

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According to the DOJ, in his expletive-filled message, Hartnett yelled, “Hey you and your whole f------ family are going to f------ die, you motherf-----, for representing Chauvin, a f------ murderer. Now, you all are going to f------ die a worse death than Floyd, you motherf-----. All of you piece of s----.”

He told investigators that he was attempting to reach Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s attorney, NBC News reported.

Hartnett pled guilty to one count of transmitting a threat through interstate communications.

Judge Graham, who sits in Miami, will sentence Hartnett on Dec. 15. He faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison, the DOJ said.