'Aggrieved' juror in Breonna Taylor case wants grand jury recordings released, attorney says
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – An anonymous grand juror in the Breonna Taylor case believes "certain questions were left unanswered" and is seeking to let the public know, Louisville attorney Kevin Glogower said on behalf of his client Tuesday morning.
The news conference came just 18 hours after the anonymous grand juror filed a motion in Jefferson County Circuit Court requesting the release of the proceeding's transcripts, recordings and reports, as well as permission to speak about the case.
"My client is 'aggrieved,' to use that term, that what was presented is not being publicly disclosed," Glogower said.
Glogower declined to say what his client told him about the proceedings last week, citing confidentiality, but did say the grand juror approached him Friday for help. Truth and transparency are the driving factors in his client's actions, he said.
More: Kentucky AG to release Breonna Taylor grand jury records after juror complains he misled
The motion the grand juror filed accuses Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron of using the grand jurors "as a shield to deflect accountability and responsibility for those decisions" and says that has led to "more seeds of doubt in the process."
"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," Glogower wrote in the filing.
Read more on race and identity: Sign up for USA TODAY’s This Is America newsletter
Judge ordered Cameron to file grand jury recording
Last Wednesday, just one of the three officers connected to Taylor's shooting was indicted on criminal charges.
Former Louisville Metro Police Department Detective Brett Hankison, already fired by the department this summer, faces three counts of wanton endangerment charges for shooting into an occupied apartment next to Taylor’s – charges that are not directly related to the death of the unarmed 26-year-old Black woman.
Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove were not charged.
Hankison was arraigned Monday in Jefferson Circuit Court and pleaded not guilty. He is free on $15,000 bond. Jefferson Circuit Judge Ann Bailey Smith ordered "the recording of the grand jury proceedings shall be filed in the court file by noon of Wednesday this week."
In a statement late Monday, Cameron said he would comply with the judge's orders, despite misgivings.
"The grand jury is meant to be a secretive body," he said. "It’s apparent that the public interest in this case isn’t going to allow that to happen."
Opinion: Breonna Taylor's heartbreaking death exposes a chasm between law and justice
In his statement late Monday, Cameron clarified that "the only charge recommended (to the grand jury) was wanton endangerment."
"Our prosecutors presented all of the evidence, even though the evidence supported that Sgt. Mattingly and Detective Cosgrove were justified in their use of force after having been fired upon by Kenneth Walker," he said.
Glogower said that comment from Cameron and one the attorney general made last Wednesday "don't fit" together.
Cameron said at a news conference last week that his team determined "and the grand jury agreed" that homicide charges did not apply to Mattingly and Cosgrove.
Glogower said that is a contradiction to Monday's statement, which confirmed wanton endangerment was the "only charge" recommended.
Follow reporter Tessa Duvall Twitter: @TessaDuvall
Coronavirus updates: 300,000 New York City students return to classrooms; police break up party of 1,000 at Florida State
More: Donald Trump's tax returns has many wondering what they're doing wrong
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Breonna Taylor: Juror wants grand jury transparency, attorney says
