Man pleads guilty to threatening to kill Derek Chauvin’s lawyer

William John Hartnett, 42, of Coral Gables, who threatened to kill the lawyer who defended former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, pleaded guilty Thursday, prosecutors said.

Hartnett made the threats in a phone call to the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association on April 6 as Chauvin was on trial for the murder of George Floyd, officials said. Hartnett called the organization, which funded Chauvin’s defense, and left a message that said in part : “you and your whole f—ing family are going to f—ing die … for representing Chauvin,” according to a criminal complaint.

Hartnett told investigators he was trying to reach Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, according to court documents. Chauvin on April 20 was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for killing Floyd, a Black man, in May 2020.

Hartnett on Wednesday pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting a threat through interstate communications, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Hartnett is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 15

Chauvin was sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison in June. Three other now-former Minneapolis police officers have been charged in connection with Floyd’s death. They have also been charged federally on civil rights counts [NBC News].