Derek Chauvin pleaded guilty to civil rights violations in two federal cases Wednesday morning in St. Paul, ending a bitter and winding legal chapter for the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd in May 2020.

Reversing his initial not-guilty pleas, Chauvin told U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson he abused his power as a police officer to deprive Floyd and a 14-year-old boy of their constitutional rights to be free from “unreasonable force.” In separate cases several years apart, he pinned both down with his knee.

In court Wednesday, Chauvin, 45, did not speak other than answering the judge’s questions. When prosecutors described the allegations, Chauvin replied “correct” to each count.