Retry Officer To ‘Destroy’ Freddie Gray Prosecutor Marilyn — Former FBI Agent

Officer William Porter, right, one of six Baltimore city police officers charged in connection to the death of Freddie Gray, walks into a courthouse during jury deliberations, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015, in Baltimore.

On Thursday, Judge Barry Williams will meet with prosecutors and defense lawyers to talk about dates for a retrial.

The judge declared a mistrial Wednesday.

Small crowds protested late Wednesday along streets lined with police officers. A uniformed deputy was stationed outside.

“They don’t want a guilty or a not guilty-they want a just verdict”, said attorney Billy Murphy, who represents the family, but was not involved this case, which the state’s attorney prosecuted.

Bill Murphy, an attorney for Gray’s family, gave a similar assessment to reporters.

“The public learned a great deal about what happened to Freddie Gray, and about how police responded”, says Douglas Colbert, a professor at the University of Maryland’s Francis King Carey School of Law in Baltimore, who attended every day of the trial.

Porter was also charged with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office.

The jury which was composed of seven black and five white people, failed to reach a verdict over Officer William Porter’s alleged involvement. But the defense called Baltimore Police Captain Justin Reynolds, who testified that Porter “went beyond what he could have done and kept within (department) policy”.

Porter faces involuntary manslaughter and other charges.

With the impact of the trial muted, that left many to wonder what comes next.

“The first trial has demonstrated you can pick a jury in Baltimore city”, says Mr. Pettit. “But it is a bit of a kick in the chest”.

Porter, who like Gray is black, was charged for having put Gray in the back of the van without seat-belting him and with being too slow to pass on his request for medical assistance.

Jurors will hear closing arguments Monday, then begin deliberating on which version they think is true.

To convict Porter of involuntary manslaughter, the prosecution would have had to persuade the jury that Porter “acted in a grossly negligent manner” and that his actions caused Gray’s death. “Let’s keep the pressure on so that State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby knows she has our support in continuing to fight for justice for Freddie”.

As they did in the immediate aftermath of Gray’s death, protesters marched in several parts of Baltimore on Wednesday night.

For convictions on some or all of the first three charges, he would face no more than 10 years in prison combined. But the mistrial could complicate that strategy, and depending on how the other trials are scheduled, he may not be available to testify.

In addition, Goodson was charged with second-degree “depraved-heart” murder, manslaughter, two counts of vehicular manslaughter and second-degree assault.

He was selected to be the first officer tried because state prosecutors were planning to use him as a witness in the other officers’ trials.

“It was never going to be easy”.

“We are confident there will be another trial with a different jury”, said Gray’s stepfather, Richard Shipley.