Protesters gather outside a courthouse after Officer Caesar Goodson, one of six Baltimore city police officers charged in connection to the death of Freddie Gray, was acquitted of all charges in his trial in Baltimore, Thursday, June 23, 2016.
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At first, they alleged he gave Gray a “rough ride”, intentionally driving erratically in order to “bounce Gray around” in the back of the van when Gray’s leg shackles and handcuffs left him unable to steady himself. Goodson was facing charges of second-degree murder, three counts of manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and misconduct.
Just before 11 a.m. (EST), Judge Barry Williams decided that Goodson was not responsible for Gray’s death, predictably mirroring his decision to let another officer charged in the case, Edward Nero, walk as he presided over both bench trials.
Williams also declared a mistrial in December after a jury failed to agree on manslaughter charges for another officer involved in the incident. He had pleaded not guilty on all counts.
It seemed to be a defining moment for the city when Mosby announced the charges a year ago, sounding righteously outraged as she described how six officers caused the death that triggered riots so destructive that the National Guard was called in to help stop them. Goodson’s defense says Gray must have suffered his fatal injury after Goodson last checked on him before arriving unresponsive at the station house.
But from the day the charges were announced, Baltimore attorney Steven D. Silverman said, “the vast majority of jurist practitioners – and those in academia that understand the criminal defense world – knew that the charges were bogus and unprovable against any of the officers”.
“It is extraordinarily rare to hear a prosecutor accuse a reputable, prominent lead detective of sabotaging the state’s case”, Alperstein said.
“That is an inflammatory term. that when uttered is not to be taken lightly”, said Williams. The murder charge carried a penalty of up to 30 years in jail. Because Gray was apparently injured while riding in a police van after his arrest, it made sense that the driver of the van might face the harshest charges, but the severity still surprised many observers.
Prosecutors said Gray was left unprotected and that belts would have prevented him from slamming into the vehicle’s metal walls. A retrial is scheduled to begin in September. Three other officers in the case, Lt. Brian Rice, Ofc.
Mr Gray’s death came at a time of fierce national debate over the use of excessive force by police, especially against black men amid questionable deaths in New York, Cleveland and Ferguson, Missouri. “Gray a rough ride”, Judge Williams’ ruling said.
The State’s Attorney’s Office highly anticipated a conviction for Goodson. “Gray was in?” asked Williams, a former prosecutor who investigated police misconduct cases for the U.S. Justice Department.
“The citizens of the city have to wonder: If the two agencies can’t work together to investigate and prosecute crime, where do we stand?” said Warren Alperstein, a prominent attorney in the city.
[State’s Attorney Marilyn] Mosby’s allegations that six officers meant to fatally injure the resistant prisoner prompted five of them to sue her for defamation. Goodson is charged in the death previous year of Freddie Gray, who was a passenger in Goodson’s detainee transport van.
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Goodson’s acquittal throws into question the rest of the cases in Gray’s death. The mayor fired her police commissioner Anthony Batts and promoted his deputy, Kevin Davis, but decided against a re-election bid amid criticism of her handling of the riots. She added that “repeatedly failing to get medical care” goes to the “depraved heart” murder charge.
