Retrial Scheduled For June In Porter Case

On Monday, December 21 a new court date was announced for William Porter, the first of the six police officers to be tried for their involvement in the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray.

Porter will be retried in the death of Freddie Gray on June 13, according to court officials.

Porter is charged with involuntary manslaughter, assault, and misconduct in office.

During the trial, prosecutors said Mr Porter ignored Gray’s pleas for medical help and did not belt him into his seat.

Gray died of a severe spinal cord injury while in police custody in April. The sole goal of the hearing is to have the new trial date read in to the record. Despite concern that a mistrial could set the tone for the remaining trials, legal expert Damario Solomon-Simmons urged the public in a NewsOne exclusive to remember that the failure to make a decision does not equate to an acquittal.

And Wood says there are ways the prosecution could compel porter to testify, without violating his constitutional rights. “If the prosecution is allowing Porter to be the last to be tried and they want his testimony, then there had to be an offer [of immunity]”. “There are some holes in their timeline”.

“The interesting issue that is on everyone’s mind that is not public is: what if anything will the state do to compel his testimony?” said Jeremy Eldridge, a defense attorney and former prosecutor. Schatzow said that stretched believability.

“They could ask him only certain questions, so that he’s not incriminating himself”. They could issue a “use and derivative use” immunity letter, in which specific answers couldn’t be used against him or form the basis of any new investigation. “They have a strong claim that they’re doing as much as they can with what they have”.