From [HERE] A federal jury has handed down a guilty verdict in the murder case surrounding the botched arrest of Breonna Taylor. 

Former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison was convicted as a result, after jurors found he used excessive force during the 2020 drug raid that left Taylor dead. Hankison fired 10 shots into Taylor’s glass door and windows during the raid, but didn’t hit anyone. Some shots flew into a next-door neighbor’s adjoining apartment. Meanwhile, neither of the officers who shot Taylor - Mattingly and former Detective Myles Cosgrove - were charged in the victim's death. 

The consensus paved the way for the first conviction in the high-profile case, putting away one of four officers involved.

A separate jury deadlocked on federal charges against Hankison last year, while in 2022, a jury acquitted Hankison on state charges of wanton endangerment.

The conviction against Hankison carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

All had been accused of violating Taylor's civil rights, with former Det. Kelly Goodlett this past August pleading guilty to a federal conspiracy charge for falsifying the warrant that led to the deadly chain of events.

The death of the 26-year-old black woman went on to spark protests nationwide, with activists alleging racial injustice played a part in police's actions that day.

The jury had initially indicated to the judge how they had been deadlocked on the charge of using excessive force.

The same charge had stumped a separate jury in 2022, who went on to acquit Hankison, 48, on state charges of wanton endangerment months before.

As the new jury remained deadlocked Thursday, members had sent correspondence to the judge asking whether they needed to know if Taylor was alive when Hankison fired shots into Taylor's Kentucky apartment. 

Hankison had argued he was firing to protect his fellow officers from Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who shot at him and other officers as they broke down the woman's door. The jury rejected the cop lies.

His attorney Don Malarcik told jurors it was on prosecutors to 'prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ms. Taylor was alive' when Hankison fired the shots - leading to a point of contention between jurors.

Following the inquiry, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings urged them to keep deliberating - granting them the opportunity to air the long-awaited decision on Friday.  

The six-man, six-woman jury went on to deliberate for several hours, before resurfacing Friday to give their decision.

As for Hankison, his conviction carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. He will be sentenced on March 12 by US District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings. Don’t expect a serious sentence - expect racism/white supremacy or more injustice.