Breonna Taylor case grand juror seeks public release of transcript

A grand juror for Breonna Taylor’s case called for the public release of the panel’s transcript and records as well as permission for fellow jurors to speak freely about the case, according to a Monday court filing.

The juror, who is unnamed and seeks to remain anonymous, said in the court filing obtained by the Louisville Courier Journal that they want more transparency so “the truth may prevail.”

“The full story and absolute truth of how this matter was handled from beginning to end is now an issue of great public interest and has become a large part of the discussion of public trust throughout the country,” Kevin Glogower, the attorney for the juror, said in the filing. 

The juror submitted the filing after 4 p.m. Monday, less than a week after the grand jury indicted one officer in connection with Taylor’s shooting death. The other two officers who executed the no-knock warrant that resulted in Taylor’s death were not charged.  

The filing alleges that Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron used the grand jurors “as a shield to deflect accountability and responsibility for those decisions,” which has caused “more seeds of doubt in the process,” according to the Courier Journal.

The juror requested jurors be allowed to talk about what didn’t happen during the grand jury proceedings, such as “any potential charges and defendants presented or not presented.”

The court filing also says the attorney general laid decisions “at the feet of the grand jury while failing to answer specific questions regarding the charges presented.” 

“Attorney General Cameron attempted to make it very clear that the grand jury alone made the decision on who and what to charge based solely on the evidence presented to them,” the juror said. 

“The only exception to the responsibility he foisted upon the grand jurors was in his statement that they ‘agreed’ with his team’s investigation that [Jonathan] Mattingly and [Myles] Cosgrove were justified in their actions,” the filing continues, referring to the two officers not indicted.

Cameron has declined to release grand jury records after Taylor’s family have requested he do so. 

They attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Last week, the grand jury’s decision to indict only former Louisville Police Detective Brett Hankison on three counts of wanton endangerment sparked outrage across the country. 

His charges did not directly relate to the March 13 shooting that resulted in Taylor’s death, meaning no one was charged with her killing.