Former Louisville Detective Federally Charged In Breonna Taylor’s Death Expected To Plead Guilty
Breonna Taylor’s family appears one step closer to getting justice for her death in March 2020 when Louisville police officers fatally shot the 26-year-old EMT worker during a botched raid of her apartment.
The Louisville Courier Journal reports that former Louisville Metro Police Detective Kelly Hannah Goodlett will plead guilty to one count of conspiring to violate Taylor’s civil rights by assisting to falsify an affidavit for the home search. Goodlett, 35, is expected to enter her plea on Aug. 22 before a federal district judge, the former detective’s lawyer said Friday (Aug. 12).
This represents the first conviction in a case that sparked outrage and widespread racial justice protests, according to the Washington Post.
Goodlett is accused of assisting with the falsification of a search warrant used to justify the raid of Taylor’s home and trying to cover it up. Prosecutors allege that she falsely claimed a postal inspector confirmed that Taylor was receiving packages for her ex-boyfriend, convicted drug dealer Jamarcus Glover, at her apartment before the raid.
Goodlett resigned from the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department after the U.S. Justice Department filed federal civil rights charges on Aug. 4 against Goodlett and three former officers in the department connected with the raid.
She’s expected to testify against the other officer–Sgt. Kyle Meany, former detective Joshua Jaynes and former detective Brett Hankison–who face more serious civil rights offenses that could result in life sentences if convicted.
Taylor was killed when the cops burst into her apartment and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker, thinking an intruder was breaking in, fired a shot that hit one of the officers in the leg. The police returned fire, killing Taylor. However, the officers who carried out the search of Taylor’s apartment do not face federal charges because they were not involved in drafting the false warrant.
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Goodlett faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
