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Trials for six police officers in Freddie Gray case will stay in Baltimore Trials for six police officers in Freddie Gray case will stay in Baltimore
(35 minutes later)
A judge has ruled the trials of six police officers charged in connection with the death of Freddie Gray will be kept in Baltimore. The trials for six police officers charged in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray will be held in Baltimore, a judge ruled on Thursday, saying publicity from the case was worldwide and potential jurors will be asked whether they have been influenced by the coverage.
Judge Barry Williams ruled on Thursday, saying the officers could get fair trials in Baltimore despite days of protests, rioting and a weeklong city-wide curfew after Gray’s death. Baltimore circuit court judge Barry Williams dismissed arguments from the officers’ attorneys, who said the days of riots, protests and city-wide curfews would make it impossible to choose unbiased jurors. The defense also said the trials should be moved because the city settled with Gray’s family for $6.4m, sending a message that the officers are guilty.
Gray died in April after he was critically injured in police custody. “The fact that the city settled the civil matter doesn’t affect the criminal matter,” the judge said.
Protesters cheered outside the courthouse. “The trial stays here,” they said repeatedly. A small group of protesters outside the courthouse cheered when they heard the decision and then chanted: “The trial stays here.”
Attorneys for the officers had argued that a $6.4m settlement the city reached with the Gray family would sway jurors, along with other pre-trial publicity. Prosecutors argued that high-profile trials such as the Boston Marathon bomber and the DC sniper were successfully held locally, and the only circumstance under which a change of venue is appropriate is in “a small community where you have an armed lynch mob at the door”, chief deputy state’s attorney Michael Schatzow said.
A spokeswoman for the Baltimore City sheriff’s office said a protester was arrested outside the courthouse earlier in the day on Thursday. Gray was a 25-year-old black man who died after being fatally injured while in police custody in April. The settlement announced earlier this week sways prospective jurors and indicates “these officers are guilty, and if they are not guilty, why are we paying them $6.4m?” said attorney Ivan Bates, who argued on behalf of all six officers.
Major Sabrina Tapp-Harper of the sheriff’s office says 24-year-old Ryan Arrendell was charged with failure to obey a lawful order. In his argument, Schatzow said the riots were “confined to a relatively small geographic area” and not widespread enough to impact each and every Baltimore citizen.
Tapp-Harper says the woman refused to leave the sidewalk in front of the courthouse and go to an area designated for peaceful protest. Arrendell was taken to the city’s booking center. Schatzow dismissed defense arguments that rioting and widespread media coverage will taint the jury pool.
The protesters gathered to voice their opinion that the officers charged in Gray’s death should not be tried outside Baltimore. The officers’ lawyers had argued for a change of venue. “The sniper case was tried in Montgomery County,” Schatzow said. “To suggest that a few days of curfew has same impact as 22 days of residents wondering if they’ll be shot to death when they walk out of their house is not a fair comparison,” he said.
The judge said in this era of worldwide communication, “information is ubiquitous, and every person in the city and state can choose to inundate themselves.”
“In this day and age, what does one do with a high-profile case?” he said.
Police had a “soft presence” outside the courthouse –€” no shields, helmets or riot gear –€” as about 20 protesters gathered before the hearing. One demonstrator was arrested.
The officers were indicted in May and face charges ranging from second-degree assault to second-degree murder.
Gray died on 19 April, a week after he suffered a critical spinal injury in police custody. His death prompted protests and rioting that shook the city and caused millions of dollars in damage, and has since come to symbolize the broken relationship between the police and the public in Baltimore, and the treatment of black men by police in the US.
All six officers, including Edward Nero and Garrett Miller, are charged with second-degree assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment. Lt Brian Rice, Sgt Alicia White and Officer William Porter also face a manslaughter charge, while Officer Caesar Goodson faces the most serious charge of all: second-degree “depraved-heart” murder.
Three of the officers are white. Three are black.