Judge Rules Breonna Taylor’s Boyfriend Caused Her Death, Dismisses Felony Charges Against Two Former Officers – Essence

A federal judge has dismissed major felony charges against two former Louisville police officers, Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany, who were accused of falsifying the warrant that led to the fatal police raid at Breonna Taylor’s apartment in 2020, the Associated Press reports. 

U.S. District Judge Charles Simpson ruled that the actions of Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who fired at the police during the raid, were the legal cause of her death rather than the allegedly faulty warrant.

The ruling significantly reduces the civil rights violation charges against Jaynes and Meany, which initially carried a maximum sentence of life in prison, to misdemeanors. However, the judge declined to dismiss a conspiracy charge against Jaynes and a separate charge against Meany for making false statements to investigators.

According to the AP, Judge Simpson stated in his ruling that “there is no direct link between the warrantless entry and Taylor’s death,” instead attributing the cause to Walker’s decision to fire at the police, believing they were intruders. This conclusion was a pivotal factor in the judge’s decision to throw out the more severe charges.

“Obviously, we are devastated at the moment by the judge’s ruling with which we disagree and are just trying to process everything,” Taylor’s family expressed to the AP. They also revealed that prosecutors plan to appeal the decision. “The only thing we can do at this point is continue to be patient … we will continue to fight until we get full justice for Breonna Taylor.”

The U.S. Justice Department said that it “is reviewing the judge’s decision and assessing next steps.”

As ESSENCE has previously reported, the case stems from a March 2020 incident when Louisville police officers, executing a drug warrant, broke down Taylor’s door. Walker fired a shot that struck one of the officers, prompting the police to return fire, killing Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman. 

Initially charged with attempted murder, Walker’s charges were later dropped after it was determined that he did not know he was shooting at police.

In a related development, former officer Kelly Goodlett, who had been charged with the federal warrant case, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and is expected to testify against Jaynes and Meany at their upcoming trials. Goodlett had previously acknowledged that Jaynes falsely claimed he had verified with a postal inspector that a suspected drug dealer was receiving packages at Taylor’s apartment—a claim that later proved to be untrue.

Another former officer, Brett Hankison, who was charged with endangering the lives of Taylor, Walker, and neighbors by firing into Taylor’s windows, faced a trial last year that ended in a hung jury. Hankison is scheduled for a retrial in October.