Brett Hankinson, the former Louisville Metro Police detective on trial for his role in the shooting that claimed the life of Breonna Taylor, wants the press and public banned from part of court proceedings.  

According to the Courier-Journal, Hankinson’s attorney Stew Mathews asked the judge to prevent journalists and the public from watching the questioning of potential jurors, which begins on Feb. 1, 2022.  

RELATED: Trial for former Louisville officer delayed, set for February 2022

Mathews said the news coverage of Hankinson’s case “was prejudicial to the defendant and a lot of it was factually inaccurate and would be inadmissible as evidence at trial.” He did not name which coverage was inaccurate.  

He also said the “high publicity” of the controversial trial could make jurors afraid their identities would be revealed. “To at least limit the reporting, whether by the media or by individual citizens, during the initial individual voir dire process would alleviate some of the potential for prejudicing potential jurors,” he wrote in the motion.  

RELATED: Officer involved in death of Breonna Taylor writing book about case

Attorney Michael Abate said multiple media organizations, including the Courier-Journal, The Associated Press and WDRB Media, will oppose efforts to block them from the proceedings. “The public has a fundamental interest in knowing justice is being done,” Abate said.  

The Attorney General’s Office, which is acting as the special prosecutor in the case, is also opposing the closing of the jury questioning. “The commonwealth recognizes the competing interests between the right to an impartial jury and the right to public and media access,” a motion from the office said. “Here, the commonwealth believes the balance favors access, even if the court decides to place some limitations on that access.”  

Hankinson is accused of firing his gun into the home of the person who lived next to Taylor during the raid of her home. He pleaded not guilty to three counts of wanton endangerment.  

St. Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove, who was also involved in the shooting, were not charged. All three officers were fired from the Louisville Metro Police Department.  

Taylor’s death sent shockwaves through Kentucky and beyond. It promoted calls for search warrant reforms across the country. 

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