LDF comments on the verdict in the trial of a former officer for the murder of Breonna Taylor

Read a PDF of our statement Here.

Yesterday, a jury in a federal criminal trial found former Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officer Brett Hankison, who helped execute the warrant that led to the murder of Breonna Taylor, guilty of depriving Taylor of her constitutional rights Color of the law. The jury acquitted Hankison on the second count, which accused him of violating the constitutional rights of Taylor's neighbors.

In November 2023, a jury failed to reach a verdict in Mr. Hankison's first federal criminal trial, resulting in a mistrial.

In March 2022, a jury acquitted Brett Hankison of wanton endangerment in a state criminal case.

In response to today's ruling, Janai Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), issued the following statement:

“This verdict represents important, long-overdue justice for the murder of Breonna Taylor that we hope provides some measure of comfort to her family. For over four years, Ms. Taylor's family has fought tirelessly to hold officers accountable for this wanton act of police violence. Millions of people across the country and around the world have answered this call. Although the jury's verdict unfortunately allows former officer Brett Hankison to escape responsibility for endangering Ms. Taylor's neighbors by brazenly firing ten shots into their apartment building, it still sends a clear message that Mr Hankison responsible for his central role in Breonna Taylor's life is death.

“MS. Taylor's tragic death has left an indelible mark on this country. Although the officers cut her life far short, we hope her family's fight for justice and accountability – culminating in yesterday's jury verdict – will deter the police from doing so will commit the kind of reckless and dangerous acts that led to her death. We await the upcoming federal trials of the other officers involved in the events that led to Ms. Taylor's death. Of course, no jury verdict can But we at LDF will continue to honor Ms. Taylor's memory – and that of countless other victims of police brutality – by developing and implementing strategies from our public safety framework to create a world free of deaths like this from Mrs. Taylor.”

Federal trials are pending against Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany, former LMPD officers who are accused of falsifying information about the warrant that allowed officers to forcibly enter Ms. Taylor's home and ultimately cause her death.

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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the country's first civil rights organization. LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multidisciplinary and collaborative center within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and conducts innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. Please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF in media articles. Please note that the LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957 – although the LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.