Kentucky Supreme Court upholds conviction of man who killed LMPD detective in 2018 crash
The Supreme Court of Kentucky has unanimously upheld the 2021 conviction of a man who killed a Louisville Metro Police officer in a car crash, according to the Kentucky Attorney General's Office.
Roger Burdette, a former Metropolitan Sewer District employee, had been sentenced to 27 years in prison after he was found guilty of murder, among several other charges. On Christmas Eve in 2018, Burdette crashed into LMPD Detective Deidre Mengedoht's cruiser on Interstate 64 in a work tanker while under the influence of hydrocodone and while watching porn on his phone.
In an appeal of the conviction to the Kentucky Supreme Court, Burdette argued that "numerous erroneous rulings" had "resulted in a fundamentally unfair trial."
The Supreme Court, however, argued in its opinion of the case that none of Burdette's reasons for a new trial "mandate reversal of his convictions and sentence."
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“Four years ago, Kentucky’s law enforcement community and the entire city of Louisville suffered a terrible loss when Detective Mengedoht was fatally injured by an impaired driver,” Attorney General Daniel Cameron said in the release. “Our hearts go out to Detective Mengedoht’s colleagues, family, and friends. While we know the Kentucky Supreme Court’s ruling does not diminish the pain of this loss, we hope the victim’s family is comforted by the court’s decision to uphold Burdette’s conviction."
Burdette pleaded not guilty after the initial incident. MSD fired Burdette after the crash and police said he acknowledged taking multiple prescription drugs the same day. Police also claimed Burdette showed multiple indicators of impairment during a field sobriety test on the scene of the crash beneath the Belvedere. Burdette's prosecutors argued he was later able to walk without issues or signs of impairment after police took him to Metro Corrections.
Mengedoht's son received nearly $14 million in a settlement with Burdette and MSD in 2021 after filing a lawsuit that accused Burdette of negligence and MSD of failing to properly employ, supervise and train him.
Commonwealth's Attorney Thomas Wine said the conviction and sentence reflect the "diligent efforts" of prosecutors Kristi Gray and Ryane Conroy as well as the LMPD detectives to who investigated the incident.
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"We appreciate Attorney General Cameron’s defense of this conviction and sentence. We certainly hope it brings some solace to Dee Dee Mengedoht’s family and serves as a warning to impaired and distracted drivers," Wine said in the release.
Contact reporter Rae Johnson at RNJohnson@gannett.com. Follow them on Twitter at @RaeJ_33.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Roger Burdette's conviction upheld in death of LMPD's Deidre Mengedoht
