LOUISVILLE (WHAS11) – The man accused of hitting and killing an LMPD officer appeared in court again on Tuesday morning.
Roger Burdette is the former MSD driver who crashed into Detective Deidre Mengadoht's cruiser on Christmas Eve.
What appeared to be a standard pre-trial hearing suddenly changed tone as Judge McKay Chauvin took a moment to address the room filled with Louisville Metro officers, including police Chief Steve Conrad.
“I appreciate that everyone is interested in this. My concern is this, people probably know this, but it's worth saying out loud. Whatever happens in this case, happens because of the facts and the law,” Judge Chauvin said.
“Cases don't get resolved based on who the victim is, who the defendant is,” he continued. “We all know that, but I'm not sure some people believe that.”
Chauvin's statement came after comments of uncertainty from attorneys on whether this case will go to trial or end in a plea deal.
“Is the right thing going to trial, or is the right thing resolving this by a plea agreement?” Chauvin said. “And I'm confident everyone is going to do their job in this case and we'll either end up with a plea agreement or a trial, but wherever we end up, that's where we're supposed to be, not because of who anybody is.”
Burdette's next hearing is scheduled for October 15.
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