Baltimore Police Driver Acquitted Of All Charges In Freddie Gray Death
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Baltimore judge has found a police van driver not guilty of all charges in the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray.
Six officers were charged in Gray's death, but only Officer Caesar Goodson was accused of murder. Gray was fatally injured after officers bound his hands and feet and Goodson left him unprotected by a seat belt that prosecutors say would have kept him from slamming into the van's metal walls.
Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams delivered his verdict Thursday after hearing five days of testimony in the non-jury trial. He found Goodson not guilty of "depraved-heart'' murder, manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office, and reckless endangerment.
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Gray died April 19, 2015, a week after suffering a spinal injury in Goodson's wagon.
Prosecutors said Goodson was criminally negligent when he failed to buckle Gray into a seat belt or call for medical aid after Gray indicated that he wanted to go to a hospital. But Goodson wouldn't talk to investigators or take the stand at trial, leaving the state with slim evidence of intent to harm.
The acquittal of Goodson, 46, is perhaps the most significant blow to State Attorney Marilyn Mosby's efforts to hold police accountable for Gray's death. Last month, the same judge acquitted Officer Edward Nero of misdemeanor charges, and in December, he declared a mistrial after a jury failed to agree on manslaughter and other charges against Officer William Porter.
Porter faces a retrial in September, and three other officers have yet to be tried.
Goodson's acquittal may impact the remaining cases. Officer Garrett Miller and Lt. Brian Rice are scheduled to stand trial in July on charges of assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office; Rice also faces a manslaughter charge.
The sweeping case ended the career of the police commissioner and aborted the political future of the mayor. Some say Mosby's reputation also hinges on its outcome.
Gray's death set off Baltimore's worst riots in decades, and fueled the Black Lives Matter movement. The violent riots prompted the governor of Maryland to declare a state of emergency and activate the National Guard in Baltimore. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also deployed 150 state troopers to help Baltimore restore peace and order.
A New York City demonstration held in solidarity with the Baltimore protests resulted in 143 arrests last April after protesters spilled into traffic and shut down the outbound Holland Tunnel, the West Side Highway and several other city streets.
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