Judge rules Breonna Taylor's boyfriend caused her death, throws out major charges against ex-Louisville officers
A federal judge has dismissed significant felony charges against two former Louisville police officers accused of falsifying a warrant that led to the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.
U.S. District Judge Charles Simpson's ruling established that the legal cause of Taylor's death was her boyfriend's actions, not the allegedly flawed warrant.
Judge Simpson concluded that "there is no direct link between the warrantless entry and Taylor's death," effectively reducing the civil rights violation charges against former Detective Joshua Jaynes and former Sergeant Kyle Meany from potential life sentences to misdemeanors.
These federal charges were announced in 2022 by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, who accused Jaynes and Meany of knowing they had falsified part of the warrant, thus placing Taylor in a perilous situation by deploying armed officers to her apartment.
However, Judge Simpson's ruling noted that while the indictment claimed Jaynes and Meany initiated a chain of events leading to Taylor's death, it also recognized that Kenneth Walker’s decision to fire at the police altered the course of those events.
Walker had fired a shot during the police raid in March 2020, believing that intruders were breaking into the apartment.
The police responded with gunfire, resulting in the death of 26-year-old Taylor. Initially charged with attempted murder of a police officer, Walker's charges were later dropped after his defense argued that he did not realize he was shooting at law enforcement.
Judge Simpson's ruling did not dismiss a conspiracy charge against Jaynes or a separate charge against Meany for making false statements to investigators.
A third former officer, Kelly Goodlett, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2022, is expected to testify against Jaynes and Meany.
Federal prosecutors allege that Jaynes misrepresented information about Taylor's apartment in the warrant application and met with Goodlett to coordinate their accounts before speaking with investigators.
Brett Hankison, another former officer charged in 2022, faces charges for endangering Taylor, Walker, and neighbors by firing into Taylor’s apartment.
After a trial ended in a hung jury, Hankison is scheduled for retrial in October.
In 2022, Louisville settled lawsuits filed by Kenneth Walker for $2 million. Reflecting on justice for Taylor, Walker told CBS News' Gayle King, "Breonna Taylor sitting right here next to me—that’s the only justice for me."
