Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has decided to release the records related to the grand jury deliberations in the Louisville police killing of Breonna Taylor. The proceedings last week resulted in charges of wanton endangerment for only one officer.
Cameron’s decision came just hours after an unnamed juror filed a court motion seeking the release of the transcripts of the proceedings, as well as permission to speak to the public to “set the record straight.”
(Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
“The full story and absolute truth of how this matter was handled from beginning to end is now an issue of great public interest and has become a large part of the discussion of public trust throughout the country,” Kevin Glogower, the attorney for the juror, wrote in the filing that comes just five days after the indictment.
According to The New York Times, Glogower says that the juror was unsettled by the fact that the grand jury was not given an option of charging Louisville Metro Police Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove.
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The 12-member panel was presented only with possible charges for Detective Brett Hankison, who was fired in June.
A spokeswoman for Cameron’s office clarified for the Times that “the only charge recommended (to the grand jury) was wanton endangerment.”
“Our prosecutors presented all of the evidence, even though the evidence supported that Sgt. Mattingly and Detective Cosgrove were justified in their use of force after having been fired upon by Kenneth Walker,” said Elizabeth Kuhn via email.
Read More: AG Cameron’s claim that Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend shot cop unsupported by ballistics
Last Wednesday, in his news conference, Cameron declined to say what charges were presented to the grand jury.
The new motion specifically requests the court find grand jurors are permitted to discuss what didn’t take place in the grand jury proceedings, including “any potential charges and defendants presented or not presented.”
“Attorney General Cameron attempted to make it very clear that the grand jury alone made the decision on who and what to charge based solely on the evidence presented to them,” the filing read.
The filing says the grand juror wishes to encourage transparency while requesting anonymity because of the nationwide interest.
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