07-28-2016, 11:24 AM
Freddie Gray Case Update -- Charges Dropped
The remaining three Baltimore PD Officers will not be facing trial.
Under the broad theory of the case, the prosecution argued that the officers acted unreasonably, willfully disregarding their training and general orders, when they didn't secure Gray in a seat belt in the back of a police transport van and failed to get him medical help.
Prosecutors said those decisions led to Gray's death. They also argued that the officers had no probable cause to stop Gray and that Goodson, the van's driver, had given Gray a "rough ride."
Judge Williams, a former city prosecutor who investigated police misconduct for the U.S. Department of Justice, repeatedly questioned the legal theories put forth by prosecutors.
The trial of Porter ended with a hung jury and a mistrial in December, and Williams acquitted Officers Edward Nero and Caesar Goodson and Lt. Brian Rice after bench trials in May, June, and July, respectively.
State Attorney General Marilyn Mosby blamed a number of factors for her inability to secure a conviction, including having to rely on the Police Department to investigate its own and not having a say in whether the cases proceeded in front of a judge or jury. Under Maryland law, defendants get to pick a judge or jury.
"For those that believe I'm anti-police, it's simply not the case. I'm anti-police brutality," she said. "The only loss and the greatest loss in all of this was that of Freddie Gray's life.
"As a mother, the decision not to proceed on these trials, these remaining trials, is agonizing," she added. "However, as a chief prosecutor elected by the citizens of Baltimore, I must consider the dismal likelihood of conviction at this point."
The six officers are expected to return to work, though all of them face possible discipline. Administrative investigations into their actions on the day of Gray's arrest and death are being conducted by the Montgomery County Police Department, with assistance from Howard County police. Once those investigations conclude, Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis would decide any discipline.
Davis, in a statement issued Wednesday, called Mosby's decision to drop the charges "a wise one" that will help the city heal and move forward.
The Justice Department is expected to release soon the results of a wide-ranging civil-rights investigation into the Police Department. Such reviews in other cities have resulted in increased spending on policing and findings of shortcomings and misguided practices.
The AG and police departments spent an estimated $7.4 million on the trials, city officials said Wednesday. In addition, the city reached a $6.4 million settlement last year with Gray's family.
full story: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/marylan...story.html
The remaining three Baltimore PD Officers will not be facing trial.
Under the broad theory of the case, the prosecution argued that the officers acted unreasonably, willfully disregarding their training and general orders, when they didn't secure Gray in a seat belt in the back of a police transport van and failed to get him medical help.
Prosecutors said those decisions led to Gray's death. They also argued that the officers had no probable cause to stop Gray and that Goodson, the van's driver, had given Gray a "rough ride."
Judge Williams, a former city prosecutor who investigated police misconduct for the U.S. Department of Justice, repeatedly questioned the legal theories put forth by prosecutors.
The trial of Porter ended with a hung jury and a mistrial in December, and Williams acquitted Officers Edward Nero and Caesar Goodson and Lt. Brian Rice after bench trials in May, June, and July, respectively.
State Attorney General Marilyn Mosby blamed a number of factors for her inability to secure a conviction, including having to rely on the Police Department to investigate its own and not having a say in whether the cases proceeded in front of a judge or jury. Under Maryland law, defendants get to pick a judge or jury.
"For those that believe I'm anti-police, it's simply not the case. I'm anti-police brutality," she said. "The only loss and the greatest loss in all of this was that of Freddie Gray's life.
"As a mother, the decision not to proceed on these trials, these remaining trials, is agonizing," she added. "However, as a chief prosecutor elected by the citizens of Baltimore, I must consider the dismal likelihood of conviction at this point."
The six officers are expected to return to work, though all of them face possible discipline. Administrative investigations into their actions on the day of Gray's arrest and death are being conducted by the Montgomery County Police Department, with assistance from Howard County police. Once those investigations conclude, Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis would decide any discipline.
Davis, in a statement issued Wednesday, called Mosby's decision to drop the charges "a wise one" that will help the city heal and move forward.
The Justice Department is expected to release soon the results of a wide-ranging civil-rights investigation into the Police Department. Such reviews in other cities have resulted in increased spending on policing and findings of shortcomings and misguided practices.
The AG and police departments spent an estimated $7.4 million on the trials, city officials said Wednesday. In addition, the city reached a $6.4 million settlement last year with Gray's family.
full story: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/marylan...story.html