Lies told in the case of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed at the hands of police, continue to unfold. The release of the grand jury transcripts from Taylor’s trial revealed inconsistencies about the investigation told by Louisville officials which resulted in questions on what really took place the day of the incident, during which police officers executing a no-knock warrant opened fire and killed Taylor.
Inconsistencies in statements and whether or not “elected officials are being honest” has caused a Kentucky judge on Tuesday to order the release of grand jury records in the case, NBC News reported. Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Annie O'Connell ruled that the records could be released in order for jury panelists to speak publicly for themselves about the case. O'Connell added that this is a “rare and extraordinary example of a case where, at the time this motion is made, the historical reasons for preserving grand jury secrecy are null." According to O’Connell, the nature of the case, known parties, and Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s extensive comments on it contributed to her decision.
While audio transcripts were released in Oct. 2, juror deliberations and prosecutor recommendations were not shared. Calls to first release the grand jury transcripts followed the Sept. 23 announcement that no charges will be pursued against the officers involved in the case.
Last month Cameron claimed that grand jurors agreed that the actions of the officers involved in the incident were “justified.” Weeks later a spokesperson for Cameron acknowledged that prosecutors never recommended charges against the officers to the grand jury. Additionally, an anonymous juror expressed Tuesday that Cameron’s version of the trial was untrue and that the jury was not given the chance to indict any officer for homicide.
"The grand jury didn't agree that certain actions were justified nor did it decide the indictment should be the only charges in the Breonna Taylor case,” the juror, identified as “Grand Juror #1” by attorney Kevin Glogower, stated. "The grand jury was not given the opportunity to deliberate on those [other] charges and deliberated only on what was presented to them." They added: "I cannot speak for other jurors, but I can help the truth be told."
According to the juror’s statement, the grand jury was only asked to consider three wanton endangerment charges against police detective Brett Hankison who fired his gun into the neighboring apartment. "Questions were asked about additional charges and the grand jury was told there would be none because the prosecutors didn't feel they could make them stick." According to NBC News, another juror represented by Glogower issued a separate statement that said they were “pleased” with the judge’s order to release the records and “will be discussing possible next steps with counsel.”
Though Cameron disagreed with the judge’s decision to release the records, he said he would not appeal it. Despite his known lies, he remained confident that he worked efficiently. “As Special Prosecutor, it was my decision to ask for an indictment on charges that could be proven under Kentucky law," he said in a statement posted to Twitter. "Indictments obtained in the absence of sufficient proof under the law do not stand up and are not fundamentally fair to anyone. I remain confident in our presentation to the Grand Jury, and I stand by the team of lawyers and investigators who dedicated months of work to this case."
In response to the juror statements, attorneys for the Taylor family are calling for a new independent prosecutor to look into the case. "We now know what we suspected: Attorney General Daniel Cameron took the decision out of the grand jury's hands," lawyers Ben Crump, Sam Aguiar, and Lonita Baker said in a statement on Tuesday.
"It is a despicable miscarriage of justice that is disrespectful of the life of Breonna Taylor that AG Cameron white washed what his office presented to the grand jury," the attorneys said. "This failure rests squarely on the shoulders of Daniel Cameron."
