Trooper Charged in Connection to Ronald Greene’s Death Reaches Plea Deal

A state trooper in Louisiana charged in connection to the death of Ronald Greene, a Black man, reached a plea deal this week.
On Monday, Kory York pleaded no contest to reduced charges, avoiding jail time for his role in the 2019 of Greene, a Black motorist. The plea marks the first conviction in a high-profile police brutality case that sparked national outrage.
York, one of five officers indicted in the case two years ago, had faced the most serious charges. Body-camera footage showed York dragging Greene by his ankle shackles and forcing him to lie facedown while handcuffed, moments before Greene stopped breathing.
Greene’s death in May 2019 raised suspicions early on, as state officials initially told his family he had died in a car crash following a high-speed chase near Monroe—an account that an emergency room doctor quickly challenged. Despite this, the state police’s crash report made no mention of officers using force, and it took 462 days for an internal investigation to begin. Throughout that period, officials, including former Governor John Bel Edwards, withheld the release of body-camera footage.
In 2021, The Associated Press obtained and released body-camera footage showing troopers surrounding Greene as he appeared to raise his hands, plead for mercy, and cry out, “I’m your brother! I’m scared!”
Troopers repeatedly used stun guns on Greene, with one officer wrestling him to the ground, applying a chokehold and punching him in the face.
Another trooper struck Greene in the head with a flashlight and was caught on camera bragging that he had “beat the ever-living f— out of him.” That trooper, Chris Hollingsworth, was identified as the most responsible among the officers involved but died in a single-car crash in 2020, just hours after being notified of his impending dismissal.
Instead of previous felony charges against York of negligent homicide and malfeasance, he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge. He will now face a year of probation and has agreed to testify against another officer facing charges in the case.
The plea agreement moved forward despite strong opposition from Greene’s family, who said they were misled about its terms and denied the opportunity to see the felony charges addressed in court.
District Attorney John Belton declined to comment on whether justice had been served in Greene’s death, stating that the case remains open.
Greene’s mother, Mona Hardin, refused to sign the plea deal and said, “My family is a victim and we should have more of a say.”
“This shouldn’t end today,” she said in court. “It’s wrong. It’s unfair.”
However, York’s attorney Mike Small, said: “This is clearly a victory for Kory York…It’s not an admission of guilt.”
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.