Breonna Taylor killing: Ex-Louisville officer to plead guilty to federal conspiracy charge

Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A former Kentucky police officer is expected to appear in court on Monday to plead guilty to a federal conspiracy charge related to the controversial shooting death of Breonna Taylor.

An attorney for former Louisville Metro Police Det. Kelly Hannah Goodlett said that she will plead guilty to a federal count of conspiring to violate Taylor's civil rights related to the search warrant that ultimately led to her death.

The charge says Goodlett falsified an affidavit that led to the search. Brandon Marshall, Goodlett's attorney, said last week that she would plead guilty.

Goodlett is also expected to testify against her former colleagues. She faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail.

The death of Taylor, who was shot by police during the no-knock warrant in March 2020, led to outrage and fueled protests nationwide against police brutality.

Earlier this month, Goodlett along with former Louisville officers Joshua Jaynes, Brett Hankison, and Kyle Meany, were arrested by the FBI on federal civil rights charges, which include conspiracy for some of the officers for actions the FBI says occurred after Taylor's death.

Authorities were investigating Taylor's ex-boyfriend at the time of the search, and the FBI said Goodlett privately met with Jaynes to discuss what they would tell investigators.

Prosecutors say that Goodlett falsely claimed that a postal inspector had verified Taylor was receiving packages for her boyfriend at her apartment before police arrived. The postal inspector rejected the claim.

Jaynes and Meany face civil rights charges for the search that ended in Taylor's death, while Hankison is charged with violating her civil rights by blindly firing shots into her apartment.