News

The Freddie Gray Officers Will Have 6 Trials

by Jenny Hollander

On Wednesday, Judge Barry Williams ruled that the six officers charged with crimes relating to the death of Freddie Gray will each have their own trial. Each of the officers was involved in the arrest of Gray, a Baltimore resident who died in April from injuries sustained while in police custody, in a police van on his way to the station (he wasn't wearing a seat belt when he was placed in the van, and experts have deemed his arrest illegal). All have been charged with varying offenses, from assault to second-degree depraved-heart murder. Instead of having one trial as a group, each officer's role in the death of Gray will be individually evaluated.

Also on Wednesday, Williams ruled that state's attorney Marilyn Mosby would not be asked to recuse herself, as the defense had demanded, and that charges against all six officers would not be dropped.

The death of Gray — who was put into a police van by these officers, and wasn't breathing when he left it — sparked unrest and cries for justice throughout Baltimore. State's attorney Mosby has asked the protesters to remain peaceful while she works to ensure that justice is done. Many such protesters gathered outside the courthouse on Wednesday morning.