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| Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case https://mail.chicagofanatics.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=100432 |
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| Author: | Tad Queasy [ Mon May 23, 2016 10:17 am ] |
| Post subject: | Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/office ... ID=DELLDHP A Baltimore police officer has been acquitted of assault and other charges in the arrest of Freddie Gray, a young black man who died a week after he was critically injured in police custody. A judge found Officer Edward Nero not guilty of misconduct in office and reckless endangerment. The judge announced his verdict on Monday. Nero was one of six Baltimore police officers charged in the case. He waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead to argue his case before Circuit Judge Barry Williams. An earlier trial for an officer charged with manslaughter in the case ended in a hung jury in December. Gray's death about a year ago led to protests and rioting in the city and fueled the Black Lives Matter movement. This is a breaking news story. Come back for updates. Here's the Associated Press's earlier version BALTIMORE (AP) — A judge is expected Monday to hand down his verdict in the case of a Baltimore police officer charged in the arrest and subsequent death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man. Officer Edward Nero faces assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges. Prosecutors say the 30-year-old unlawfully arrested Gray without probable cause and was negligent when he didn't buckle the prisoner into a seat belt. Nero opted for a bench trial rather than a jury trial. Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams is expected to announce his verdict Monday. The assault charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and the other charges carry five-year maximums. Gray died April 19, 2015, a week after his neck was broken in the back of a police transport van while he was handcuffed and shackled but left unrestrained by a seat belt. His death set off more than a week of protests followed by looting, rioting and arson that prompted a citywide curfew. His name became a rallying cry in the growing national conversation about the treatment of black men by police officers. Shortly after Gray's death, State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby charged six officers. Three of them are black; Nero and two others are white. Nero's attorney argues that his client didn't arrest Gray and that it is the police van driver's responsibility to buckle in detainees. The defense argued that the officers who responded that day acted responsibly, and called witnesses to bolster their argument that any reasonable officer in Nero's position would have made the same decisions. The defense also sought to convince the judge that the department's order requiring that all inmates be strapped in is more suggestion than rule because officers are expected to act with discretion based on the circumstances of each situation. Nero is the second officer to stand trial. Officer William Porter's manslaughter trial ended with a hung jury. |
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| Author: | IMU [ Mon May 23, 2016 10:47 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Hmm... |
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| Author: | Sir Loin Of Beef [ Mon May 23, 2016 10:48 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Christ.... |
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| Author: | Nas [ Mon May 23, 2016 10:50 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Sounds like this guy didn't do anything wrong but it's unlikely any officer will be convicted in a bench trial. |
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| Author: | IMU [ Mon May 23, 2016 10:53 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Out of all the cases similar to this we've had...this is the one I thought was the most "criminal." Or at least suspicious. I don't know how often the cops are restraining people in the back of these vans...but how crazy does the driver have to be driving in order to break someone's neck? |
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| Author: | Nas [ Mon May 23, 2016 11:00 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
IMU wrote: Out of all the cases similar to this we've had...this is the one I thought was the most "criminal." Or at least suspicious. I don't know how often the cops are restraining people in the back of these vans...but how crazy does the driver have to be driving in order to break someone's neck? It sounds like this guy wasn't driving or the arresting officer |
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| Author: | IMU [ Mon May 23, 2016 11:05 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Yeah, I get that. Where is the driver in all of this? I'd have to look into this a lot more than I feel like doing right now. I just don't see how six people could be charged for something one or no people may be guilty of? |
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| Author: | Brick [ Mon May 23, 2016 11:07 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
This seems strange but hopefully others are brought to justice. It's possible this guy doesn't deserve the blame but clearly someone does. |
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| Author: | Nas [ Mon May 23, 2016 11:08 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
IMU wrote: Yeah, I get that. Where is the driver in all of this? I'd have to look into this a lot more than I feel like doing right now. I just don't see how six people could be charged for something one or no people may be guilty of? I agree |
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| Author: | Don Tiny [ Mon May 23, 2016 11:20 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Completely normal. Unfortunately. |
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| Author: | Seacrest [ Mon May 23, 2016 12:09 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Nas wrote: Sounds like this guy didn't do anything wrong but it's unlikely any officer will be convicted in a bench trial. A number of non existent cases brought by an inexperienced prosecutor for her own political and personal gain. |
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| Author: | badrogue17 [ Mon May 23, 2016 12:10 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Seacrest wrote: Nas wrote: Sounds like this guy didn't do anything wrong but it's unlikely any officer will be convicted in a bench trial. A number of non existent cases brought by an inexperienced prosecutor for her own political and personal gain. No justice no peace |
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| Author: | Seacrest [ Mon May 23, 2016 12:18 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
badrogue17 wrote: Seacrest wrote: Nas wrote: Sounds like this guy didn't do anything wrong but it's unlikely any officer will be convicted in a bench trial. A number of non existent cases brought by an inexperienced prosecutor for her own political and personal gain. No justice no peace You remember the time the cops pulled you over just for being white...? I didn't think so. |
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| Author: | Nas [ Mon May 23, 2016 12:22 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Seacrest wrote: Nas wrote: Sounds like this guy didn't do anything wrong but it's unlikely any officer will be convicted in a bench trial. A number of non existent cases brought by an inexperienced prosecutor for her own political and personal gain. That is a problem and unless I am missing something this guy shouldn't have been charged with anything. I have just as much and issue with charging and innocent guy as a do with not charging someone who is probably guilty. That being said we all know guilty cops won't likely be convicted with a bench trial. It's just the way the system works. Race doesn't matter when you are a cop. |
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| Author: | Terry's Peeps [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:08 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Freddie Gray case: Officer Caesar Goodson Jr. not guilty on all charges Justin Fenton and Kevin Rector The Baltimore Sun June 23, 2016 11:51AM The Baltimore Police van driver accused of giving a "rough ride" that killed Freddie Gray was acquitted of all charges Thursday by Circuit Judge Barry Williams. Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., 46, had faced the most serious charges of any of the six officers indicted in Gray's arrest and death last April, including second-degree depraved heart murder. Goodson was also acquitted of three counts of manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office. His acquittal, which comes after Williams considered the charges for three days, throws the rest of the cases into jeopardy. The other officers charged face similar, but lesser accusations. Williams said the timeline of Gray's injuries remains unclear, and the state "failed to meet its burden" to present enough evidence to back its assertions. "As the trier of fact, the court can't simply let things speak for themselves," Williams said. Prosecutors alleged Goodson had five chances to render aid to Gray after his neck was broken in the back of the van, which they said demonstrated a "depraved heart." They also said Goodson was the direct cause of the injuries, driving the van in a reckless manner that threw him in the back of the van's steel cage, shackled but unrestrained by a seat belt. As a certified field training officer, prosecutors said Goodson knew Police Department rules and broke them. Goodson's defense attorneys said officers who checked on Gray didn't know he was seriously injured, and that Goodson deferred to decisions of other officers not to put a seat belt on Gray. His attorneys also disputed the time frame of Gray's injuries, placing them later in the van's journey and therefore offering less chances to intervene, and blamed Gray himself, saying he had been placed on his stomach in the van and stood up. He called "rough ride" an "inflammatory term" that is "not to be taken lightly," and said prosecutors didn't prove it at all. Gray, 25, died one week after suffering a fatal injury in the back of the police van, touching off citywide protests against police brutality, and rioting, looting and arson on the day of his funeral. Goodson, a 16-year veteran of the force, elected a bench trial, bypassing a jury and leaving his fate in the hands of Judge Williams, a former city prosecutor who also once investigated police misconduct for the Justice Department. The first trial, of Officer William Porter, ended in a hung jury and mistrial last December. The second, of Officer Edward Nero, ended last month with Nero being acquitted of all charges by Williams in a bench trial. Nero and officer Garrett Miller, also charged in the case, were present in the courtroom when Goodson's verdict was announced. The next trial, of Lt. Brian Rice, who is charged with manslaughter, is scheduled to begin July 7. The other officers' trial dates are: Miller (July 27), Porter (Sept. 6) and Sgt. Alicia White (Oct. 13). All the officers have pleaded not guilty. |
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| Author: | Nas [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:19 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
This is what I'm talking about. Officers know that it's HIGHLY LIKELY that they will be found not guilty if it's left to a judge. |
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| Author: | Urlacher's missing neck [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:20 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
I'm heading down to see the reaction on the street. I'm probably 2 blocks from the courthouse. |
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| Author: | Brick [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:21 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
This is bad. It is pretty hard to deny that minorities are not treated well in our justice system. |
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| Author: | Nas [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:23 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Boilermaker Rick wrote: This is bad. It is pretty hard to deny that minorities are not treated well in our justice system. I think that's definitely true but I'm confident that the same thing would have happened if the victim wasn't a minority. Judges rarely find cops guilty regardless of what the public thinks. |
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| Author: | Juice's Lecture Notes [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:37 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
It's the "depraved-heart murder" charge that sunk the prosecution, as it introduces intent as the requisite mens rea. This overcharging looked great in the papers at the time for a young minority prosecutor looking to make a name for herself, but ultimately they ensured that all the officers involved would walk. |
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| Author: | badrogue17 [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:38 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Juice's Lecture Notes wrote: It's the "depraved-heart murder" charge that sunk the prosecution, as it introduces intent as the requisite mens rea. This overcharging looked great in the papers at the time for a young minority prosecutor looking to make a name for herself, but ultimately they ensured that all the officers involved would walk. Yep. |
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| Author: | pittmike [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:41 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Nas, why do judges do that? Also, do prosecutors sometimes go for too big of a charge and screw themselves? |
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| Author: | Nas [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:49 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
pittmike wrote: Nas, why do judges do that? Also, do prosecutors sometimes go for too big of a charge and screw themselves? No doubt the prosecutor overcharged in this case. I'm not exactly sure why it happens. I know that a cop would be a fool to ask for anything except a bench trial. |
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| Author: | good dolphin [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:52 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
pittmike wrote: Nas, why do judges do that? Also, do prosecutors sometimes go for too big of a charge and screw themselves? cops vote in a block majority of judges have a prosecutorial backround |
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| Author: | 312player [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:56 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Juice's Lecture Notes wrote: It's the "depraved-heart murder" charge that sunk the prosecution, as it introduces intent as the requisite mens rea. This overcharging looked great in the papers at the time for a young minority prosecutor looking to make a name for herself, but ultimately they ensured that all the officers involved would walk. That's an intentional and calculated Move, they are on the same team..they don't want a conviction. |
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| Author: | Don Tiny [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:56 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
badrogue17 wrote: Juice's Lecture Notes wrote: It's the "depraved-heart murder" charge that sunk the prosecution, as it introduces intent as the requisite mens rea. This overcharging looked great in the papers at the time for a young minority prosecutor looking to make a name for herself, but ultimately they ensured that all the officers involved would walk. Yep. Is it outrageous to consider the possibility that the prosecution's case might have been cobbled together under the 'depraved' moniker as a .... oh .... let's say a "courtesy"? |
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| Author: | good dolphin [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:57 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Boilermaker Rick wrote: This seems strange but hopefully others are brought to justice. It's possible this guy doesn't deserve the blame but clearly someone does. It really does not seem all that clear. I think the State's Attorney charged six officers. She is going to go 0-6 and it isn't because of some flaw in the justice system. |
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| Author: | Brick [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:59 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
good dolphin wrote: Boilermaker Rick wrote: This seems strange but hopefully others are brought to justice. It's possible this guy doesn't deserve the blame but clearly someone does. It really does not seem all that clear. I think the State's Attorney charged six officers. She is going to go 0-6 and it isn't because of some flaw in the justice system. Are you saying no one should be at fault for this death? |
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| Author: | Terry's Peeps [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 12:01 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
His death was ruled a homicide. I assume that means his death was caused by another person. |
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| Author: | Nas [ Thu Jun 23, 2016 12:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Officer Acquitted in Freddie Gray Case |
Terry's Peeps wrote: His death was ruled a homicide. I assume that means his death was caused by another person. That's what I think too. |
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