A former Louisville Metro Police Department detective reportedly plans to plead guilty for her alleged role in the March 2020 shooting of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, which sparked nationwide protests.
Kelly Hanna Goodlett, 35, is charged with one count of conspiring to violate Taylor's civil rights for her alleged role in falsifying an affidavit to search Taylor's apartment, which ultimately led to the 26-year-old's death.
Brandon Marshall, Goodlett's attorney, announced in court Friday that Goodlett plans to enter a guilty plea during her arraignment on Aug. 22, according to The Courier-Journal.
Magistrate Judge Regina Edwards ordered the former Louisville officer to hand over her passport and avoid contact with her co-defendants, Louisville Sgt. Kyle Meany and former detectives Joshua Jaynes and Brett Hankison, The Courier-Journal reported.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT CHARGES 4 LOUISVILLE POLICE OFFICERS IN BREONNA TAYLOR INVESTIGATION
Goodlett, an eight-year veteran of the LMPD, along with Meany, Jaynes and Hankison, were part of a police unit established in 2019 called Place-Based Investigations (PBI). The unit was tasked with investigating alleged narcotics trafficking in the West End area of Louisville, about 10 miles away from Taylor’s home, according to a federal complaint filed earlier this month.
BREONNA TAYLOR'S DEATH: EX-LOUISVILLE COP CHARGED IN 2020 SHOOTING ACQUITTED ON ALL COUNTS
PBI obtained five warrants to search properties allegedly involved in drug trafficking, including Taylor's home. Taylor's boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover ("JG"), was apparently the target of the investigation, the complaint states.
The lawsuit further alleges that the warrant for Taylor's apartment contained falsified statements.
"On March 13, 2020, at approximately 12:45 a.m., LMPD officers who had not been involved in drafting the search warrant and who were unaware of the false statements in it executed the warrant at Taylor’s home," the complaint states. "When those officers broke down the door to the apartment, a guest in Taylor’s home (K.W.), believing that intruders were breaking in, immediately fired one shot with a handgun that he lawfully possessed, hitting the first officer at the door."
In response to the gunshot, two officers "instantly fired a total of 22 shots into the apartment, and one of those shots hit Breonna Taylor in the chest,," while a third officer moved to the side of Taylor's apartment and "fired ten more shots through a window and a sliding glass door," the complaint states.
Goodlett faces a prison sentence of up to five years for the charge, according to The Courier-Journal.
