Kentucky council denies Breonna Taylor mother’s request for special prosecutor

A state prosecutor advisory council says it lacks legal authority to grant such a request

Dec 6, 2020

Back in October, Breonna Taylor‘s mother, Tamika Palmer, requested to have a new prosecutor assigned to oversee the case of her daughter’s death by police in Louisville, Kentucky.

That request was denied Friday by Kentucky’s Prosecutors Advisory Council, and many in the community are not happy about it, according to CBS News.

Palmer filed an application with the council after Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron stated that officers who opened fire into Taylor’s home during a no-knock warrant would not be charged for her murder, as reported by The Washington Post.

Breonna Taylor, left, was gunned down in her own apartment in March. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron is facing criticism is how he handled the prosecution in her case. (Photo: Family of Breonna Taylor/Getty Images)

Of the four officers involved, only one, Brett Hankison, was charged. He received a count of wanton endangerment since one of his bullets hit the apartment that neighbors Taylor’s unit.

In this Sept. 25, 2020, file photo, Tamika Palmer, the mother of Breonna Taylor, right, listens to a news conference in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

During a zoom meeting, the Kentucky Prosecutors Advisory Council voted not to allow a new prosecutor to be assigned to Taylor’s case. The meeting included over 200 members of the public.

Once the council, citing legal limits, voted unanimously to approve the decision to not appoint a special prosecutor, members of the public unmuted their microphones to voice their displeasure with the decision.

Public attendees of the virtual meeting began crying out, saying that they “oppose” the vote, making statements such as, “You’re wrong, and you know it,” and “You have a legal obligation to pursue justice.”

Kentucky Prosecutors Advisory Council punted on appointing a new special prosecutor in the Breonna Taylor case, saying they don't have the authority.

The council agreed unanimously, then the public turned on their mics. pic.twitter.com/h0Z3bCFCcB
— Adam K. Raymond (@adamkraymond) December 4, 2020

The council conceded that its decision was made was due to the fact that it had no authority to remove Cameron, the attorney general, from overseeing the case.

Chris Cohron, a member of the council, stated: “Quite simply put, we do not have the legal authority to fulfill the request that has been submitted.”

Palmer’s lawyer is now considering going to the Kentucky Bar Association to file an ethics complaint against Cameron.

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