LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The man charged in a fatal crash that killed a Louisville Metro Police (LMPD) detective is looking to have his murder conviction overturned, according to new court documents.
Roger Burdette is currently serving a 27-year sentence for killing LMPD Det. Deidre Mengedoht after crashing his tanker truck into her police cruiser on Christmas Eve in 2018. Authorities said Burdette had drugs in his blood and was watching a pornographic video on his phone when the crash happened.
In the new motion, filed on June 10, Burdette argues he was denied effective assistance by his lawyers at the time.
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“There was no testimony [at trial] regarding the levels of trace drug amounts detected in Mr. Burdette’s blood after the wreck, or how those amounts would affect an individual,” Burdette's new layer, Michael Goodwin, said.
According to Burdette’s attorney, previous defense attorneys instructed Burdette not to testify during the trial.
During the trial, a member of the Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force testified that Burdette had opened his phone and loaded up the pornographic video four minutes prior to the crash. They said the video was in the foreground of the phone's screen prior to the crash.
Goodwin argues the previous attorneys didn’t introduce evidence regarding Burdette’s phone and how it didn't require a passcode to open. He also suggests Burdette wasn’t watching the pornographic video at the time of the crash.
“He had to check the time frequently,” the attorney said. “Checking the time on the phone could have led to the misperception that he was actively watching the pornographic video. At no time did he watch the video while driving his truck.”
Burdette is requesting an evidentiary hearing, which is the first step in getting the conviction thrown out.
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