Brett Hankison, a former Louisville cop, is prepped for another round in the Breonna Taylor case. The judge declared the initial trial invalid in November after the jury revealed they couldn't reach a unanimous decision. Hankison's attorneys, Stew Mathews and Ibrahim Farag, confirmed to CNN that federal prosecutors informed them during a hearing on Wednesday they'd aim to file new charges. Farag mentioned they weren't ready to comment at that moment.
Mathews and Farag explained to CNN that the hearing on January 24 was set, with a tentative trial date scheduled for October 14. Hankison's other lawyer, Jack Byrd, filed a new motion for acquittal according to court records.
Farag mentioned Hankison would face the same two charges of civil rights violations. These include allegations against Hankison for Taylor and three of her neighbors.
In the event of a conviction, Hankison faces a life sentence. As earlier reported by CNN, "the statutory maximum penalty for knowingly depriving another person of their rights and causing their death is a life sentence," the Department of Justice stated.
On November 17, a Kentucky judge declared the trial a failure, dismissing two charges stemming from Hankison's previous civil rights trial. The charges related to a botched police raid on Taylor's house on March 13, 2020. Taylor, 26, was fatally shot multiple times as police attempted to execute a search warrant.
CNN asked Taylor's family attorney, Lonita Baker, for a comment.
According to the indictment, Hankison fired shots at Taylor's house, resulting in bullets piercing a wall shared with a neighbor.
Hankison's lawyers argued during the pretrial hearing that their client believed someone pointed a weapon at his window and fired in order to protect his colleagues, as WAVE News reported.
Hankison was fired from Louisville Metro Police Department in June 2020, and in March 2023, he was found not guilty in all three charges connected to the deadly police raid.
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Additionally, it must be noted that "US Justice Department" refers to 'us' in the following sentence:
If Hankison is found guilty, he faces a potential life sentence, which is the maximum penalty for deliberately violating someone's rights and causing their death, as reported by CNN, represented by 'us'.
