BURDETTE TRIAL BEGINS 10-26-2021.jpeg

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- After five days of testimony, the jury in the trial of a man who caused a crash that killed Louisville Metro Police Detective Deidre "Dee Dee" Mengedoht has found him guilty of murder and recommended a sentence of 27 years for the charge.

Roger Burdette was driving an MSD truck when he crashed into Mengedoht's unmarked cruiser on Interstate 64 on Christmas Eve 2018. Mengedoht died at the scene.

After the verdict was announced, LMPD released a statement saying "The tragic loss of Detective Deidre Mengedoht is something forever etched in the history of the Louisville Metro Police Department.

"Today, an individual was held accountable for her death. We are grateful for the hard work and dedication by our investigators and the Commonwealth Attorney's Office in both the preparation and successful prosecution of this case. May this help bring a sense of closure and peace to an incredibly difficult loss for LMPD, the family and friends of Deidre Mengedoht and the community. We will never forget your sacrifice, Detective Deidre Mengedoht."

The jury — made up of nine women and five men — also found Burdette guilty of four counts of wanton endangerment, operating a motor vehicle under the influence and failure to give the right of way to a stopped emergency vehicle. The jury recommended five years for each wanton endangerment charge. For those charges, the sentences will run concurrently. 

Among the jury's options for charges to Burdette were murder, second-degree manslaughter, reckless homicide, wanton endangerment, driving while impaired and failure to yield for a law enforcement officer. 

Burdette's attorney tried to get him released on house arrest until a final sentencing hearing, but the judge set a bond hearing for Wednesday morning, sending Burdette to jail Tuesday night.

In a statement Tuesday following the verdict, the Commonwealth Attorney's Office said the four wanton endangerment charges "result from the fact that the crash also threatened death or serious physical injury to the four occupants of the motor vehicle which Detective Mengedoht had stopped."

The jury got the case just before 5 p.m. Tuesday after closing arguments and reached the unanimous verdict in about three hours, just after 8 p.m. After a quick break, the sentencing hearing began, with testimony lasting about an hour before moving into discussions for their sentencing recommendation.

Prosecutors presented evidence all last week that they say proves Burdette had taken drugs prior to the crash and that he was watching porn while he was behind the wheel. 

After the verdict and before going into deliberations about a sentencing, the jury heard from Burdette's daughter, who said the crash has torn their family apart and that their dad is an honest and caring person. 

"I ask you to consider our family as well," Lauren Burdette said. "Like I said, we're being torn apart."

Mengedoht's sister also testified, saying the officer's passion was to help people and the crash has destroyed her family.

"I can barely take care of myself. It destroyed us," Ashley Lewis said. "It made me question God. It was a lot. Deidre was everything to me. Some people are just really good people in this world. She was really good people, that's why this was so hard."

Defense attorneys, presenting their case Tuesday morning, called Jim Sobek to testify as an expert on visibility and light. He indicated that because of the change in sunlight under the Belvedere, he could see how the wreck could occur. On cross examination, prosecutors got Sobek to admit that none of that really matters if Burdette was watching video on a phone.

An EMT who examined Burdette at the scene also took the stand. He didn't note any sort of impairment, testifying that Burdette was "behaving appropriately" given the situation.

Last Monday, the day before the trial began, defense attorneys asked a judge to prohibit prosecutors from telling jurors that Burdette was watching pornography when the wreck occurred, arguing that there is a "social stigma" associated with porn and the type of video Burdette was watching is unimportant.

But prosecutors argued Burdette specifically was looking for a certain porn video that he had watched before, and was not listening to dialogue, meaning he was more distracted. Judge McKay Chauvin agreed, ruling pornography is a visual medium and would be a greater distraction than a typical movie. 

During the first day of the trial last Tuesday, prosecutors said Burdette was impaired on drugs he didn't have a prescription for and opened the pornographic video on his cellphone minutes before he slammed his 18-wheeler into Mengedoht's car.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Ryane Conroy told the jury in her opening statement last Tuesday that Burdette didn't try to brake or swerve when he barreled into Mengedoht's cruiser.

"This was no car accident," she told the jury. "This was no mistake. This was a crime ... He disregarded the safety of everyone else."

But Burdette's defense attorneys claim the case isn't as simple and that investigators sought to blame him for Mengedoht's murder as soon as they arrived on the scene, regardless of evidence.

"It didn't matter what the investigation showed," Defense attorney Ryan Dischinger told the jury in his opening last week. "It didn't matter what the evidence was. At the end of the day, this is tragic ... but not all tragedies are murder."

Dischinger said Burdette was not driving under the influence, that he was on a “therapeutic level” of drugs, including hydrocodone. and while there was a pornographic video playing on his phone, "it doesn't mean Roger was watching it," Dischinger told jurors.

During the second day of the trial, Sgt. Michael Johnson — who conducted Burdette's field sobriety test — testified he failed eye tracking, standing on one leg and walking in a straight line.

"I felt like he was under the influence," Johnson said. "I had reason to believe he had taken a narcotic based on the construction of the pupils and his demeanor at the scene of being extremely nonchalant and relaxed. I saw no emotion from him the entire time."

But Burdette's defense attorney pointed out that he had surgeries on his knee, which could contribute to his balance.

During those first two days of the trial, prosecutors claimed two types of drugs in Burdette's system were part of the reason he crashed into Mengedoht's cruiser. On the third day of trial, Dr. James Davis, a toxicologist called by prosecutors, was first on the stand. But he said he was unable to say Burdette was affected by the drugs.

Before the crash, Mengedoht had pulled over a truck in front of The Belvedere. Quentin Brady, who was inside the truck with his girlfriend, her sister and a baby, said last week in court that he'd been pulled over for about five minutes before the wreck.

"I heard an explosion once her car was struck," he said. "My truck was sliding across the guardrail, and her car slid in front of my truck."

Brady and his family filed a lawsuit against Burdette in May 2019. At last check, the lawsuit had not yet been settled.

Burdette, who was not injured in the wreck, failed a field sobriety test and originally told police he had taken non-narcotic prescription drugs. He was charged with murder, wanton endangerment and DUI in the crash and fired by MSD about a month later. 

Mengedoht's mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against MSD and Burdette in January 2019 claiming gross negligence caused the crash that killed her. The lawsuit was settled in February 2021 for nearly $14 million.

This story may be updated.

Related Stories:

Copyright 2021 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.