A medical examiner testified that his death was a murder and that Gray perished by a neck injury.
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With the jury not in, defense brought up the document that involved a March 2015 incident in which a police officer said Freddie Gray told him he had injured his back.
Earlier Monday, defense attorney Joe Murtha cross-examined an assistant state medical examiner and an expert medical witness about the possibility that Gray had a prior injury. While he declined to grant a mistrial or dismiss the case, he said he would allow the defense to use the officers’ statement.
He said Gray’s injury came from forces similar to a motorcycle rider being thrown from a bike, or an unrestrained auto passenger being ejected.
The videotaped interview was the very first time the people heard an officer’s report of the events surrounding the arrest and transportation that led to Gray’s departure but also set Baltimore aflame of Gray.
Porter’s attorneys say that as soon as their client realized Gray was seriously injured, he called for help.
The medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Freddie Gray said Monday she wouldn’t have ruled his death a homicide if Baltimore police Officer William Porter had called for a medic “promptly” upon coming into contact with Gray.
Porter is charged with second degree assault, involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office.
His testimony in the case of Dondi Johnson, a Baltimore man who was arrested in 2005 for public urination, left paralyzed after riding in the back of a police van and died two weeks later, helped Johnson’s family win a $7.4 million settlement against the city.
A Baltimore Fire Department paramedic who treated Freddie Gray has testified that in her 17-year career, she has never refused a police call for an ambulance.
She said her findings did represent a theory, but one based on her medical expertise and information from witnesses, including the testimony Porter gave to police investigators.
“The biggest doubt in the case comes down to what was going on in Officer Porter’s head”, said David Jaros, a University of Baltimore law professor.
Soriano, the prosecution witness, said prompt medical attention would likely have prevented Gray’s death.
Porter is the first of six officers, three of them black, to face trial in Gray’s death, which triggered rioting in the largely black city and fueled a USA debate on police brutality.
The defense is expected to call Officer Porter himself to the witness stand, along with character witnesses, before the trial wraps.
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Before Williams’ surprise ruling, the day’s proceedings had been dominated by medical testimony about Gray’s injuries from the April incident – which included a broken neck and a severe spinal cord injury. They’ve also tried to poke holes in the connection between Gray’s injury and Porter’s role in the 45-minute van ride that included six stops and concluded with Gray unresponsive on the wagon floor.
