Officer Brett Hankison
The United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division is now taking its own shot at Hankison for the same conduct for which he was acquitted in state court, now on two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law.
The
Federal indictment against Hankison specifies two counts of criminal conduct.
The first count is based on the DOJ claim that Hankison violated the civil rights of Taylor and Walker to be free of unreasonable seizure, by his conduct of firing into Taylor’s apartment.
The second count is based on the DOJ claim that Hankison violated the civil rights of the three people in the adjacent apartment by his conduct of firing the rounds that entered their apartment, characterizing these rounds as having been fired “after there was no longer a lawful objective justifying the use of deadly force.”
Detective Kelly Goodlett
Another Kentucky officer charged yesterday by the Department of Justice in the events surrounding the death of Breonna Taylor is Detective Kelly Goodlett, whom the DOJ alleges both conspired with other officers to falsify the search warrant affidavit for Taylor’s apartment, claimed to be a violation of
18 U.S.C. § 242, and also conspired to cover up this conduct after Taylor’s death, claimed to be a violation of
18 U.S.C. 1512(b)(3). Further, the indictment charges Goodlett under a general conspiracy state,
18 U.S.C. § 371.
The
Federal indictment against Goodlett claims the following criminal conduct on her part.
First, the indictment alleges that Goodlett failed to challenge or object to a purportedly false claim made in the affidavit for the search warrant for Taylor’s apartment that the criminal target of the warrant, alleged drug dealer J.G., was receiving packages at Taylor’s apartment.
Second, the indictment alleges that Goodlett falsely asserted in the affidavit for the search warrant that other detectives had “verified” (scare quotes in indictment) that J.G. was using Taylor’s apartment as his “current home address” (again, scare quotes in indictment).
Detective Joshua Jaynes & Sergeant Kyle Meany
Two additional Kentucky officers associated with the warrants served on Taylor’s apartment were also indicted yesterday by the Department of Justice: Detective Joshua Jaynes, and Sergeant Kyle Meany. Both were charged under a single indictment.
The
single Federal indictment that charges both Jaynes & Meany together, includes count one directed at both men, claiming that Jaynes and Meany wrote out and approved, respectively, the search warrant directed at Taylor’s apartment knowing it to be false.
Specifically, the search warrant approved for Taylor’s apartment was based on affidavits sworn by Jaynes & Meany. The indictment claims that both officers knew the affidavit contained false, misleading, and out-of-date information, that the affidavit omitted material information, and that the officers knew they lacked probable cause for the warrants. Further, the officers knew the search warrants would be executed by armed police officers, thus creating a dangerous situation for anyone on the premises subject to search.
This alleged conduct is the basis for the first count in this indictment for deprivation of rights under color of law, under
18 U.S.C. 242.
Merrick Garland wants what state prosecutors were unable to achieve, convictions in the raid where police responded to gunfire from Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, accidentally killing her.
legalinsurrection.com
