Louisville officers accused of not helping domestic violence victim who was later murdered
Two officers with the Louisville Metro Police Department have been charged after an investigation alleged that they did not give proper help to a victim of domestic abuse who was later found murdered.
Officers Kierstin Holman, 30, and Cody Luckett, 29, are facing misdemeanor charges alleging that they failed to provide proper aid to Amanda Berry when they met with her on Dec. 26, according to the police department. Berry was found murdered in January.
In December, Berry “called 911 to report that her boyfriend, William Sloss, kept refusing to let her leave the house, located at 3211 Virginia Avenue” in Louisville, according to Jefferson District Court records. Holman and Luckett responded to the call, and Berry told them that Sloss “hit her that night, held her in the house, chased her down the street and took away her phone among other things.”
But, court records say, Holman and Luckett “did not complete a report as required, nor arrest Sloss.”
A police department supervisor uncovered the officers’ alleged wrongdoing during a review of Berry’s case for the Fatality Review panel, a review conducted for all homicides stemming from domestic violence, the police department said in a Facebook post Friday. The department’s Public Integrity Unit then investigated Holman and Luckett’s handling of Berry’s case.
The case against the officers was initiated in early March, and Holman and Luckett have been reassigned to administrative duties since then, according to the post.
Misdemeanor summonses were issued for Holman and Luckett Thursday and served Friday, according to the police department.
The police department’s Professional Standards Unit also will review the case to determine whether internal policies were violated by the officers’ actions, police said in the Facebook post.
Holman has been on the police force since 2014 and Luckett since 2016, according to their personnel files.
Berry’s body was found in the basement of the Virginia Avenue home on Jan. 30. Berry, 33, left behind three children, the Courier-Journal reported.
Sloss, 34, is charged with murder-domestic violence, abuse of a corpse and being a persistent felony offender.
He is being held by the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections on $1 million bond.
This story was originally published May 22, 2020 at 7:08 PM.
