Officer murder trial rescheduled

Nita Johnson, The Sentinel Echo, London, Ky.
·1 min read

Mar. 27—The trial for a man charged with the DUI-related death of a London Police officer in 2022 was rescheduled for August.

The jury trial for Casey Preston Byrd, 37, of Oneida, Tennessee, had previously been moved from Laurel County to Warren County. The change of venue was approved due to the high emotional aspect revolving around the Oct. 30, 2022 death of London Police Officer Logan Medlock.

But during a hearing in Laurel Circuit Court on Monday, Byrd's trial date was moved from April until August 2024. The trial will involve Laurel Circuit Judge Greg Lay, Commonwealth Attorney Jackie Steele, Byrd's attorney and other court officials. The jury, however, will be chosen from Warren County.

Byrd is charged with murder of a police officer, two counts of criminal mischief, driving under the influence of intoxicants and possession of controlled substance stemming from the crash that took Medlock's life.

Byrd was traveling on KY 229, or Barbourville Street, and ran a traffic light, striking Medlock's cruiser in the driver's side, or T-boned. The impact sent both vehicles into the A.R. Dyche Memorial Cemetery, damaging two gravestones. Medlock was pronounced dead at the scene, while Byrd was taken for medical treatment before being taken to the Laurel County Correctional Center.

He remains incarcerated, held under a $1 million cash bond.