Trial for officer William Porter, charged with manslaughter, reckless endangerment and assault, has tentatively been set for October 13.
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The parties met with Judge Barry Williams last Thursday in his chambers.
Rice, Miller and Nero wore dark suits; Goodson sported a black jacket and black-rimmed glasses while White wore a gray dress with red-rimmed glasses. Porter was the only one not to appear at the hearing. Prosecutors accuse him of failing to provide or request medical care for Gray and not securing him safely in a van.
If officers who made incriminating statements about their peers are not tried before them, they could refuse to take the stand in those trials to avoid self-incrimination in their own pending trials. A surveillance video captured footage of Gray conscious and speaking, Rodriguez said at the time.
‘Help me up, ‘ Gray reportedly said before responding affirmatively when Porter asked if he needed a medic. At a few point between 8:40 and 9:24, Gray asked for his inhaler and for medical attention, said Rodriguez, who has since resigned.
Gray was a 25-year-old black man who was critically injured during his April 12 arrest.
Gray’s death sparked outrage and days of massive protests, including a few that turned violent.
Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby subsequently charged the officers with a range of crimes.
The six officers were indicted in June. “They need that magical word of guilty”. Their trials will begin on February 9 and 22, respectively. His trial is set to start March 9.
The trials of the five other officers will occur between January and March.
The six officers are being tried separately and face charges ranging from second-degree assault to second-degree “depraved-heart” murder.
“That’s Jan Bledsoe, and that guy there is Michael Schatzow”, one attorney said, pointing out the two lead members of the prosecution team to her client, Officer Garrett E. Miller.
Porter gave a statement to investigators looking into the death saying that he and Goodson were not sure if Gray was faking his injuries in order to go to the hospital instead of jail. He rejected a defense request that the trials be moved because of intense publicity.
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Prosecutors have previously said Porter is a “necessary and material witness” in their cases against Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr. and Sgt. Alicia D. White, and therefore must be tried before them. Buildings went up in flames, and vandalism and looting devastated businesses – despite the Gray family’s pleas for peace. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake also imposed a week-long nightly curfew.
