Louisiana State Master Trooper Kory York exits the Union Parish Courthouse in Farmerville after he and four other white police officers pleaded not guilty Tuesday, April 11, 2023, for their roles in the death of Black motorist Ronald Greene in May 2019. York faces the most serious charge of negligent homicide. (Wesley Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)
A former Louisiana state trooper charged in the 2019 beating death of Black motorist Ronald Greene walked free Monday after striking a deal with Union Parish prosecutors before his trial began.
Kory York, who initially faced the most serious felony charges among the group of five white officers involved in Greene’s death, entered a no contest plea to eight counts of simple battery — a misdemeanor — and received a six-month suspended sentence, a $1,000 fine and 160 hours of community service, according to court records.
York’s trial was set to begin Monday morning. The suspended sentence allows him to serve no jail time, though he will be placed on supervised probation for a year.