Deal Presented by Kentucky Prosecutor Evidence of Effort to Smear Breonna Taylor
What would Glover need to do to get such a sweet deal?
Simple. Implicate his ex-girlfriend as a participant in his criminal activities. Except his ex was 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, the emergency room technician killed in her home by Louisville police during a botched drug raid March 13 and during which time her then-boyfriend Kenneth Walker shot an officer. Glover would need to sign a statement alleging that Taylor was part of his “organized crime syndicate” as he “trafficked large amounts of crack-cocaine, methamphetamine, and opiates” in the Louisville area, according to a draft copy of the proposed plea agreement. Glover also had to allege that the “handling [of] all his money” was done by the person living in Taylor’s home.
Glover refused to implicate Taylor, stating, “There was nothing never there or anything ever there, and at the end of the day, they went about it the wrong way and lied on that search warrant and shot that girl out there.”
Wine did not initially respond to media inquiries for a comment. Many feel that the offer was an effort to assist police to avoid accountability in Taylor’s death. Her family lawyer, Sam Aguiar, describes the offer as demonstrating “the lengths to which those within the police department and Commonwealth’s Attorney went to after Breonna Taylor’s killing to try and paint a picture of her that was vastly different from the woman she truly was,” adding, “The fact that they would try to even represent that she was a co-defendant in a criminal case more than a month after she died is absolutely disgusting.”
Evidence shows that officers executed the no-knock warrant at Taylor’s home. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, opened fire as officers entered the apartment believing them to be intruders, striking Officer Jonathan Mattingly. Officers responded, and Taylor was shot five times, according to her death certificate.
The question remains: Why were law enforcement targeting the home of Taylor at all? Glover had been the primary target and had used Taylor’s address on bank statements. Glover was observed by police retrieving a package from the Taylor home and then driving to a “known drug house” in January. In addition to that information, the search warrant affidavit stated that Glover could be using the home to keep money and drugs; no money or drugs were found by police. After the raid, Glover did say in a jail call that Taylor had about $14,000.00 of his money. Only then did Wine state his office was aware of information, which included jail calls by Glover, implicating Taylor.
Ted Shouse, a Louisville-area criminal defense attorney, believes the strategy is to destroy Taylor “because she is destroying them. And they want Jamarcus Glover to do it for them because their efforts have failed. So they offer him a bribe, basically. All you have to do is smear her.”
Glover continues to deny any involvement by Taylor. Many believe that even if Taylor had been involved with Glover during his criminal activity, it would not justify what’s been done to her both during the raid and the Glover plea process. This is just one more example of an avoidable tragedy as the result of an abusive, unwinnable “war” on drugs. Now, it has become a war on the truth, too. How important can combating drug crimes be if law enforcement will plead it down to save themselves?
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