Former prison guard sentenced to 20 years in DUI murder of Kentucky police officer
A former prison guard convicted of hitting and killing a police officer while driving drunk has been sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison.
Casey P. Byrd crashed his pickup truck into a police cruiser driven by Logan Medlock, 26, an officer with the London Police Department, on Oct. 30, 2022.
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Byrd testified he had been at a friend’s house before the wreck to watch a University of Kentucky football game and drank several beers and some bourbon.
Byrd was on his way to see a woman he was interested in when he ran a red light and hit Medlock’s car in the driver-side door at an intersection, according to testimony.
Byrd’s blood-alcohol level was nearly four times the level at which someone is presumed drunk in Kentucky, Commonwealth’s Attorney Jackie Steele said during Byrd’s trial earlier this month.
A jury convicted Byrd of murder and recommended a 20-year sentence, the minimum under Kentucky law.
Circuit Judge Greg Lay sentenced Byrd Monday in Laurel County.
Byrd, 37, of Oneida, Tenn., had worked as an officer at the federal prison in McCreary County before the crash.
With a 20-year sentence, Byrd will be eligible for parole after serving 17 years, though the parole board would not have to release him early.
This story was originally published August 27, 2024 at 8:50 AM.
