Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron asked a judge to deny a grand juror's request to break secrecy and speak publicly about the proceedings that led to the indictment of one former police officer in the Breonna Taylor case.
An anonymous juror asked a Jefferson County judge to order the release of transcripts and free jurors of their requirement not to speak about the case presented to them by the attorney general's office. In a motion filed Wednesday, Cameron asked the judge to dismiss the request, and said he and the Commonwealth's Attorneys' Association have "grave concerns" about ensuring the secrecy of these proceedings.
"[A] request by a single member of a grand jury, or even the grand jury itself, cannot be permitted to overcome the important public interest of the Commonwealth in maintaining the proper functioning of the criminal justice system in general and the grand jury process in particular," Cameron's motion said.
Allowing the grand jurors from the case to speak publicly would set a dangerous precedent, Cameron argued.
“As I’ve stated prior, I have no concerns with a grand juror sharing their thoughts or opinions about me and my office’s involvement in the matter involving the death of Ms. Breonna Taylor,” Cameron said in a press release. “However, I have concerns with a grand juror seeking to make anonymous and unlimited disclosures about the grand jury proceedings... Allowing this disclosure would irreversibly alter Kentucky’s legal system by making it difficult for prosecutors and the public to have confidence in the secrecy of the grand jury process going forward.”
Last week, the juror's attorney, Kevin Glogower, said the “primary concern” is that Cameron “laid a lot of responsibility at the grand jurors’ feet,” and is unnecessarily trying to keep secret the proceedings that led to the indictment of former Louisville Metro Police detective Brett Hankison. The grand jury indicted Hankison on three counts of wanton endangerment for shots he fired during in the operation that left Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, dead in her home.
“My client wants to make sure the truth gets out,” the attorney said last week.
