Maryland Circuit Judge Barry Williams found Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr. not guilty on all charges for his role in the death of Freddie Gray.
Officer Goodson drove the police van when Freddie Gray sustained ultimately fatal spine injuries; Goodson was charged with second-degree "depraved heart” murder, the most serious of the six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray. Goodson was also charged with manslaughter, assault, and misconduct in office. He was found not guilty on all. Many criminal justice experts believed that if anyone was to be held accountable in the death of Freddie Gray, this was the one.
Officer Goodson arrives in #Baltimore court for verdict in his murder trial connected to death of #FreddieGray pic.twitter.com/2dIAZSwhNu
— Michael Mathes (@MichaelMathes) June 23, 2016
Prosecutors had argued that Goodson intended to injure Gray as he drove him around without a seatbelt, saying Goodson purposely gave Gray a “rough ride,” and neglected proper protocol to ensure Gray's safety. They also said Goodson failed to seek medical care for Gray at numerous opportunities.
The defense argued there was no evidence that Goodson gave Gray a rough ride and the prosecution was simply being deceptive. Defense attorney Matthew Fraling likened the prosecution’s case to a “three-card monte” card trick, in which the focal point of the case was constantly shifting and lacking in hard evidence.
The hotly contested trial included testimony from 30 witnesses, including an unexpected appearance at the stand from Edward Nero, the officer who arrested Gray and was acquitted of all charges in May. Nero testified that Gray became “passive-aggressive” and “violently shook the van side to side.”
Freddie Gray was arrested April 12, 2015 on the suspicion that he was carrying an illegal switchblade. While being transported in a police van, Gray fell into a coma and eventually died from injuries to his spinal cord a week later on April 19, 2015. His death was followed by protests throughout the city of Baltimore.
Protesters wait for verdict in case of Caesar Goodson, driver of the van where #FreddieGray sustained fatal injury: pic.twitter.com/CZLDxtqeYN
— Fusion (@Fusion) June 23, 2016
Goodson was the third officer to stand trial in the death of Freddie Gray. The first trial of William Porter resulted in a mistrial and was reschedule for September 2016, while the second officer tried, Edward Nero, was acquitted of all charges. The next officer to be tried will be Lt. Brian Rice, one of the officers on bicycle patrol who originally arrested Gray. His trial is scheduled to begin July 5.
Read more at The Baltimore Sun.
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