The former head of the Louisiana State Police, who led the agency at the time of the troopers’ deadly arrest of the Black motorist Ronald Greene, agreed to publicly testify in state lawmakers' investigation into the state’s handling of the case.
Former State Police Superintendent Col. Kevin Reeves, who has not spoken publicly about the case since he retired from the Louisiana State Police in 2020, sent the now-infamous text message to Gov. John Bel Edwards that jumpstarted lawmakers’ latest probe and prompted questions about Edwards’ potential involvement in the agency’s efforts to cover up the details of Greene’s violent death.
A newly-formed state legislative committee scrutinizing the state’s investigation into Greene’s in-custody death held its first meeting Tuesday, issuing a long list of current and former state police officials that would be asked to testify before the committee. Reeves is at the top of the list.
He communicated his willingness to testify through his attorney, Baton Rouge lawyer Lewis Unglesby.
House leadership did not pursue a formal investigation into the handling of the Greene case until reporting from the Associated Press revealed that Reeves texted Edwards about a high-speed chase, “violent, lengthy struggle” and arrest of a suspect who later died. Greene was not named in that message, and Edwards has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his handling of the case.
“The actions taken that night and the cryptic decisions and statements made every step of the way since then have eroded public trust,” Schexnayder said in a press release last month. “That trust can only be regained with a transparent and robust search for the whole truth in this matter.”
For months, State Police officials said Ronald Greene died from injuries he sustained in the crash at the end of the high-speed chase and made no mention of the violent struggle that followed.
The text message clearly showed a discrepancy between what State Police officials said publicly about Ronald Greene’s death and what they said behind closed doors.
An initial autopsy report backed up State Police officials' characterization of events, but photos of Greene’s battered corpse prompted his family to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the Louisiana State Police. A slow trickle of information contradicting the State Police narrative earned the case national media attention and prompted a federal investigation, which remains ongoing.
Bodycam footage unearthed by the Associated Press showed officers beating and stunning as a shackled Greene pleaded for his life, telling troopers, “I’m your brother! I’m scared! I’m scared!” A later autopsy attributed Greene’s death to the beating, shocks and restraints he received at the hands of state troopers combined with his cocaine use.
When GOP legislative leaders initially floated the idea of investigating Edwards’ involvement in the Greene case, Edwards characterized the effort as “an absolute witch hunt.” But when the committee was formally announced less than a week later, the Democratic governor struck a decidedly different tone, welcoming the investigation and saying he hoped it would be “a productive, nonpartisan discussion” about necessary reforms within the Louisiana State Police.
“I’m not interested in any sort of witch hunt for any particular person,” Committee Chairman Tanner Magee (R-Houma) said Tuesday. “My only motivation in this committee is to get the truth, whatever that may be, and wherever that may lead us.”
Lawmakers on the bipartisan committee, which is comprised of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, expressed their desire to find the truth for Greene’s family and accountability for those responsible for his death.
“Ronald Greene’s death can be equated to a modern-day lynching,” Rep. Jason Hughes (D-New Orleans) said. “It’s imperative that we garner the facts and the truth surrounding his death and leave no stone unturned.”
The committee members also detailed the list of internal State Police documents it would request as part of their investigation, including all bodycam footage of the incident and a record of every person who viewed it as well as all communications between State Police higher-ups, the governor and his staff.
Magee, who also serves as the House Speaker Pro Tem, said the committee would use subpoena power to compel testimony and the release of documents if necessary.
“We’re going to get everything we can get through every means we have available to us,” Magee said, adding that the House leadership plans to advance a resolution that would unambiguously grant the committee full subpoena power on the first day of the legislative session that begins next week.
The state Senate’s ongoing investigation into State Police practices has been hampered by LSP employees’ refusal to testify and agency leaders’ unwillingness to demand that their subordinates appear before the committee.
Some committee members speculated that it could take the committee longer than expected to complete its work based on the sheer volume of documents requested and the number of individuals asked to testify.
“This could take three years with all of this information,” Rep. Mandie Landry (D-New Orleans) said.
Magee acknowledged that the list of requested evidence and the number of people requested to testify may have to be narrowed down.
The committee is scheduled to meet again at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 15, with Reeves expected to appear as the first witness.
