A former Louisville police officer is expected to plead guilty to federal charges related to the death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed during a warrant raid on her home in 2020.
Kelly Goodlett, 35, who resigned from the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) last week, is expected to plead guilty on August 22 after her charges were filed as sealed information, the which analysts predict means he has agreed to a deal.
The judge ordered him to hand over his passport on Friday and is not allowing him to speak to his other classmates, who have been charged, according to the Journal of the messenger.
The ex-cop faces up to five years in prison for forging a search warrant and filing a false cover-up report, after being charged with sealed “information” — not charged — according to the Washington Post.
Taylor, 26, was shot and killed in her home after an undercover officer entered her apartment for a drug search warrant.
Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, shot an officer in the leg with his legally owned gun and later admitted he didn’t know police had raided his home when he fired. The officers fired, fatally hitting Taylor six times.
Goodlett was charged last week along with Sergeant Kyle Meany, 45, Detective Joshua Jaynes, 40, and former Detective Brett Hankison, 46, for their connections to Taylor’s death in March 2020 .
Kelly Goodlett is expected to plead guilty Friday after her charges were unsealed, raising suspicions that she took a plea deal.
Breonna Taylor, 26, was fatally shot five times in her home in March 2020 by Louisville police officers after they raided her home with a restraining order for a drug investigation. His death sparked a civil outcry and protests for racial justice swept the nation
Jaynes and Meany have been charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of conspiracy.
Meany has been charged with making a false statement to the FBI, while Jaynes is charged with falsifying records in a federal investigation.
Goodlett has been accused of conspiring with Jaynes to falsify search warrants and covering up his actions afterward, he reported on Aug. 4. court documents.
The other three have pleaded not guilty, according to the Washington Post, and face life in prison on civil rights charges.
As part of his alleged plea deal, he could have agreed to testify, which would help the Justice Department hold the police department accountable for Taylor’s death.
Jaynes’ attorney, Thomas Clay, expressed concern that Goodlett could provide information to prosecutors and argued that anyone involved in the case should not be prosecuted.
“The reaction I’ve gotten from people in the law enforcement community has been pretty much shock and outrage. They believe these prosecutions are unjustified and politically motivated,” Clay told the Washington Post.
The Justice Department revealed that Goodlett had conspired twice with Jaynes in the affidavit and once after the shooting in an attempt to cover up the alleged misinformation.
The Justice Department is focusing its case primarily on the preparation of the affidavit rather than officers using excessive force, which is difficult to prove.
Former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said the department’s decision was “smart” and could offer a better prospect of conviction, as the criminal justice system largely protects the force used by police.
“There was a shooting and someone died, and maybe it was a crime, but it’s very difficult, as everyone knows, to prove a case in a police shooting because police officers have the authority to use deadly force,” he said in Washington. publication
“Focusing on the shooting was unlikely to go anywhere. What Justice did here was take a step back.”
Jaynes was fired by metro police in Louisville, Kentucky in January 2021 for adding a false statement to his affidavit for a “no-touch” warrant to search Taylor’s apartment about her trafficker ex-boyfriend of drugs
As a result, 26-year-old EMT Taylor was fatally shot by LMPD officers on March 13, 2020, sparking widespread protests across the country.
Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke announced the charges today, which include violating Taylor’s civil rights, unlawful conspiracies, unconstitutional use of force and felonious obstruction.
They claim the LMPD’s Place Based Investigations Unit falsified the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant for Taylor’s home, which later led to his death.
Goodlett was charged last week along with Sergeant Kyle Meany, 45, Detective Joshua Jaynes, 40, and former Detective Brett Hankison, 46 (pictured), in connection with the death by Taylor in March 2020.
Officers Myles Cosgrove (left) and Brett Hankison were also fired from their police roles over the Taylor case. Joshua Jaynes, the lead investigator, had spoken to a colleague, Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly, (right), who had received the information from Shivley police.
Garland also confirmed that Hankison, who was acquitted of criminal charges earlier this year, has been charged with two counts of deprivation of rights under the law.
Until now, Hankison was the only officer charged in connection with Taylor’s death, after he shot through her window and sliding glass door.
He was found not guilty of three counts of reckless endangerment for shooting at a neighboring apartment.
The Department of Justice confirmed that he will now face further charges, for using “unconstitutionally excessive force” while acting in his official capacity.
A separate indictment filed earlier this month alleged that after Taylor was shot, a Hankison moved from the door next to her apartment and fired 10 more shots.
These went through a window and a sliding glass door, both covered with blinds and curtains, thus depriving three of Taylor’s neighbors of their constitutional rights. .
The first count accuses her of robbing Taylor and her boyfriend by shooting through the window of a room that was covered with blinds and a blackout curtain.
Both charges allege that Hankison used a dangerous weapon and that his conduct involved an attempt to kill.
Jaynes, the lead investigator on the case, is accused of falsifying information in an affidavit used to approve the warrant to strike Taylor’s arrest.
He claimed he had verified through a US postal inspector that Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, an alleged drug dealer, had been receiving packages at her apartment.
But he had actually spoken to a colleague, Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly, who had received the information from Shivley police.
Mattingly later resigned from the force and has not been charged in connection with Taylor’s death.
Officers Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hankison were also fired from their police roles over the Taylor case.
Family and lawyers for Breonna Taylor (pictured earlier this month) said the charges were “a big step towards justice” for her
Many joined the family to show their support earlier this month
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron did not charge Mattingly and Cosgrove with a crime last year, saying both officers were justified in returning fire on Walker.
Both Cosgrove and Hankison were fired from the Louisville Metro Police Department for their actions during the raid.
Garland said the federal charges allege agents falsified information about the search warrant used to enter Taylor’s home.
He said this violated his Fourth Amendment rights, which led to his death, with Jaynes and Goodlett “knowingly falsifying” a document created after his death.
The defendant claimed the pair had allegedly met in a garage in May 2020 to discuss telling investigators a false story to “cover up their illegal conduct.”
Sergeant Kyle Meaney reportedly “lied to the FBI” during their investigation into Taylor’s death, and has also been charged.
Affidavits sworn by Jaynes and approved by Meany were used to obtain warrants to search five properties, including Taylor’s home.
The indictment alleges that both Jaynes and Meany knew the affidavit used to obtain the warrant was “false, misleading and out of date.”
It also claims both offices knew the warrant would be executed by armed LMPD officers, creating a “dangerous situation” for the officers and anyone at Taylor’s home.
