Thursday, March 28, 2024

Prosecutors Drop All Remaining Charges Against Officers in Freddie Gray Case

Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby
Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby

*Prosecutors have dropped all remaining charges against Baltimore police officers in the Freddie Gray case, concluding one of the most high-profile criminal cases in the city’s history without a single conviction.

The move to drop charges against three of the six cops accused in the death of Gray was announced Wednesday morning in a Baltimore courtroom. It followed the acquittals of three other officers on similar and more serious charges by Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams, who was expected to preside over the remaining trials as well, reports The Baltimore Sun.

Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby failed to secure a conviction in the case after more than a year of fighting to hold someone criminally accountable in Gray’s death.

Gray, 25, suffered severe spinal cord injuries in the back of the van in April 2015 and died a week after his arrest. His death sparked widespread, peaceful protests against police brutality, and his funeral was followed by rioting, looting and arson.

Prosecutors tried to argue that the officers acted unreasonably, and willfully disregarded their training and general orders, when they decided not to secure Gray in a seat belt, and that the decision directly led to his death.

Officer William Porter’s trial ended with a hung jury and a mistrial in December, before Williams acquitted Officers Edward Nero and Caesar Goodson and Lt. Brian Rice at bench trials in May, June, and July, respectively.

In a hearing Wednesday meant to start the trial of Officer Garrett Miller, Chief Deputy State’s Attorney Michael Schatzow told Williams that the state was dropping all charges against Miller, Porter and Sgt. Alicia White.

Porter had been scheduled to be retried in September, and White had been scheduled to be tried in October.

Prosecutors, the officers and their attorneys were all barred by a gag order from discussing the case, until after all of the officers’ cases have been adjudicated.

With Wednesday’s decision, the gag order is now lifted, so expect comments from both sides to explode soon.

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