Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron asked a judge to keep the evidence in the Breonna Taylor case sealed, according to ABC News.
Cameron filed a joint motion with Attorney William Stewart Mathews, who represents former Louisville Police Detective Brett Hankison, to ask Circuit Judge Ann Bailey Smith to cancel her order to release the evidence in the case or seal it until after the ex-officer’s trial has taken place.
Previously, Judge Smith ordered the attorney general to redact any personal information from the evidence as a safety precaution. Cameron and Mathews argued that the evidence could still endanger those involved, if made public.
They also said that the evidence could “permanently taint potential jurors” in Hankison’s upcoming trial. The former officer, who was the only member of LMPD who was fired for the shooting of Taylor, is currently facing three wanton endangerment charges for “blindly” shooting into the homes of Taylor’s neighbors the night she was killed.
“The parties submit that filing discovery in the record would allow said materials, many of which may never be admitted as evidence in court, to be published by the media, and permanently taint potential jurors for trial of this matter,” the motion said. “Redaction of personal identifiers does not remedy the problem.”
Both parties cited “unprecedented” media coverage and the “anticipated wholesale posting of the entire discovery in this matter on the internet” as additional reasons to keep the evidence sealed from the public.
“The parties in this matter have received threats of violence in regard to this case. Publishing the discovery could only serve as an impetus for more of the same,” the documents said. “The parties agree that the administration of justice can best be served by limiting materials published in the record to the evidence actually admitted in court.”
Cameron recently obtained armed security to protect himself and his family after there were “several, serious, credible threats” made to his “health, welfare and safety.”