Our review of the available materials has led us to conclude that the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office presented to this grand jury a biased view of the case that favored the law enforcement officers who killed Ms. Taylor, and departed from the manner in which other cases had been presented to this grand jury by presenting the charges only at the end of the proceedings. Contrary to AG Cameron’s statements during a September 23, 2020 press conference, he did not present charges of homicide or explain the justification of self-defense. Instead of providing the grand jury with all relevant evidence, the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office cherry-picked facts, dismissed grand jurors’ questions, and prevented grand jurors from inquiring into other relevant charges. This led to the predictable result that the officers were not held accountable for the killing of Ms. Taylor. The Attorney General’s handling of this grand jury was an abdication of his responsibility, as a prosecutor, to serve the public as an impartial advocate, “to observe the independent status of the grand jury and ensure that indictments are returned in a just manner.”
What was presented to the grand jury in the case involving the police killing of Ms. Taylor betrayed the public’s trust and confidence that accountability and justice would be sought in a fair and thorough presentation of charges before a grand jury. We, therefore, support the request of Ms. Taylor’s family to the Kentucky Office of the Prosecutors Advisory Council for a special prosecutor to resubmit the case to a new grand jury, present additional evidence and applicable charges, and fully explain the principles of self-defense. LDF additionally asks for systemic reforms which are detailed below in Section V.
