On Tuesday evening after jurors deliberating in the William Porter trial had gone home for the day, activists, led by organizers from the People’s Power Assembly, gathered on the sidewalk outside Courthouse East downtown.
Advertisement
According to the Associated Press, jurors deliberating the fate of former-Baltimore police officer William Porter told a judge they were deadlocked Tuesday afternoon.
Judge Williams received a note from the jury at about 3:30 p.m. today, saying they were deadlocked after nearly 10 hours of deliberation.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Porter’s defence team petitioned to have the trial moved and for a mistrial to be declared.
Gray’s death a week after his injury sparked demonstrations and riots and made him a symbol of the black community’s distrust of police.
Rev. C.D. Witherspoon spoke to a group of mostly television reporters, noting that it was this kind of protesting, in his opinion, that kept this trial in Baltimore and kept Marilyn Mosby on the case, referencing the perceived victory during the motion hearings back in September.
Gray, a young black man, died on 19 April – a week after his neck was broken while riding in the back of a police van with his wrists and ankles cuffed, but while he remained unrestrained.
A court spokeswoman said the judge denied the request, since no transcripts were introduced as evidence, but jurors are welcome to review the audio and video. Prosecutors say Porter is partially responsible for Gray’s death for failing to buckle the man into a seatbelt and not calling an ambulance when he indicated he was in distress.
The judge says the assault charge also requires jurors to find that Porter was grossly negligent, while the misconduct charge requires an “evil motive, bad faith” and “not merely an error in judgment”. In the letter, Thornton said the school won’t tolerate any students leaving class to protest if Officer Porter is acquitted.
They also asked for a speaker for the computer on which they were allowed to watch and listen to key evidence in the case, including Porter’s statement to police investigators and police radio communications from the day of Gray’s arrest. The jury has not been sequestered, but they have been warned not to read news articles about the case or talk about it with anyone other than fellow jurors.
Bledsoe showed jurors the unfastened seat belt: “It’s got Gray’s blood on it”, she said.
The charges carry maximum prison terms totaling 25 years, but convictions on some of the lesser charges could be merged for sentencing purposes.
Porter’s trial is beginning its third week.
Advertisement
Porter conceded that Gray asked for medical help during the fourth stop but said he did not call a medic because Gray didn’t appear to be injured and didn’t articulate what was wrong.
