Officer Involved in Breonna Taylor Shooting Death Wants Media Banned From Portion of Trial

The lone officer charged in connection with the Breonna Taylor murder wants the media banned from part of his forthcoming trial.

Brett Hankison and his attorneys filed a motion requesting that Judge Ann Bailey Smith bar news outlets from the courtroom during individual juror questioning. They claim that the jurors may be concerned that their identities would be revealed to the public. This is the latest filing aimed at limiting media influence during the trial. Last year, Hankison’s legal team filed documents to move the trial to a new location due to the “media circus” surrounding Taylor’s high-profile death. They feared that the jury pool in Louisville, Kentucky, where Taylor was murdered, would be “irreparably prejudiced and biased.”

Taylor was murdered on March 13th, 2020, when Hankison and LMPD Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Officer Myles Cosgrove fired over 30 shots into her apartment while serving a no-knock warrant. Hankison was not actually charged with her death. Instead, he was charged with three counts of wanton engagement for recklessly shooting into the homes of Taylor’s neighbors. No other officer has ever faced charges for their involvement.

Hankison has pleaded not guilty. He faces up to five years in prison. The trial is set to begin on February 1st.