Incredible! Thanks for the updates.

Lemme get this straight. The best evidence they have of how he died is that he died?

Holy shit...

Marilyn Mosby should be burned at the stake for this. These people are why Baltimore is such a shit hole.

yesterday, Donta Allen testified for defense

Allen:

"I dont recall anything from that day."
Def asks him to look at transcript of his police interview to refresh memory.

"I dont know nothing"

Back to Donta Allen. Because he said he didn't remember anything, the video of his interview with police is being played..

Allen wouldn't answer any of defense questions, but perked up and answered prosecution cross.

way back when Donta Allen was first identified as the other person in the van, he denied hearing anything. Numerous reports came out he was worried about being killed for being the person who got the cops off. Oh, guess who broke the story of Allen's name and the fact that he was denying hearing anything ? A reporter who is the lesbian live-in lover of prosecutor Janice Bledsoe. small world in Baltimore


Officer Nero (who was just recently acquitted) will testify for the defense today

Nero:

Defense questions very limited. They basically had Nero testify that Gray was being combative, banging in van at second stop. That's it.

In turn, prosecution had very limited cross. Nero is already off the stand.

quote:

Originally posted by sdy:
Oh, guess who broke the story of Allen's name and the fact that he was denying hearing anything ? A reporter who is the lesbian live-in lover of prosecutor Janice Bledsoe. small world in Baltimore

Has it been mentioned in the thread that the prosecutor Bledsoe was Freddie Gray's public defender before she switched sides and became a prosecutor? How could that not be a direct conflict of interest?
http://www.baltimoresun.com/ne...-20150731-story.html

Officer Goodson elects not to testify in his own 2nd-degree murder trial in #FreddieGray case. The defense has rested its case.

No decision today. Closing arguments Monday at 10AM.

I have to say, this has to be the most disgusting example of misjustice I have ever seen.

Mosby and the rest of them need to be prosecuted and imprisoned.

State and defense gave closing remarks.

State starting their rebuttal.

Prosecutors did not use term "rough ride" in closing but now talking about a "rolling stop"

Prosecutors: Goodson "breached his duty four times, and as a result of this breach, the life of Freddie Gray was shortened"

Defense:

Goodson deferred to other officers' decisions re: seat belting, dictated by Gray being unruly

Fraling says officers are not trained medics and didn't see anything that showed he needed emergency care - no duty then to seek aid

Defense says state had to show circumstances were foreseeable; says if Gray stayed in prone position he was placed in, wouldn't have happened

Judge Williams asked questions of both sides, but he didn't seem to be tougher on one than other

Judge says he wont issue ruling until 10 am Thursday.

Judge Willians questioned state much more closely on the rebuttal just now, pushing them on several points

Williams asked prosecutors, "Are you saying that once a police officer is placed on notice someone wants to go to the hospital that failure to do so is criminal negligence?" As opposed to civil negligence

Williams seemed very skeptical that video of van showed evidence of rough ride, and possibly showed the contrary

He said there was no evidence of high rate of speed, asked whether a sharp turn would've been more abrupt than wide turn it took

Williams and Schatzow got into a back and forth about whether even if Gray was fine, the failure to seek help was a violation of his duty

"Yes," Schatzow said. "It might not have been prosecutable... The duty is the same. The consequences are diff, but duty the same"

Williams also questioned prosecutors on why they believe Goodson bothered to stop and check on Gray if he intended to hurt him..

Schatzow posited that Goodson intended to hurt him, just not that badly.
"Where's your evidence?" Williams responded.
"Logical inferences"

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sdy,

"Logical inference"

What the hell does that mean??

NEWS BALTIMORE UNREST JUN 20 2016, 2:41 PM ET
Verdict Expected Thursday in Trial of Van Driver in Freddie Gray Case
by SAFIA SAMEE ALI
SHARE
"""LINK"""
A verdict is expected Thursday at 10 a.m in the trial of Officer Caesar Goodson, who was driving the police van when Freddie Gray sustained ultimately fatal spinal injuries.

Goodson has been charged with second-degree "depraved heart" murder—the steepest charge of the six officers indicted. Both sides made compelling arguments to Judge Barry Williams over seven days of testimony and in closing arguments on Monday.

Related: Why Freddie Gray Case Could Make or Break Marilyn Mosby

Prosecutors maintained that Goodson purposely gave Gray a "rough ride" without seat belting him causing severe spinal injury leading to his death a week later.

"A reasonable officer saves lives, follows training, (if) that had been done, Freddie would be alive," Chief Deputy State's Attorney Michael Schatzow said during closing arguments on Monday.

However, defense attorneys argued there was no evidence of a rough ride and Gray's injury was a result of an accident. Defense Attorney Matthew Fraling described the prosecution's case against Goodson as a "a game of three card Monte" but with an ever shifting set of rules.

Image: Caesar R. Goodson Jr., Alicia D. White
Sgt. Alicia White, right, and Officer Caesar Goodson left, two of six Baltimore city police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, arrive to Maryland Court of Appeals on Thursday, March 3, 2016, in Annapolis, Md. Maryland Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in five cases related to the arrest and death of Freddie Gray. Jose Luis Magana / AP
The highly contentious trial brought forth 30 witnesses, including surprise witness Officer Edward Nero who was acquitted last month in Gray's death.

Nero testified on behalf of Goodson stating that during the ride in the police van, Gray was not "cooperative," became "passive aggressive," and "violently shook the van side to side" — contrary to prosecutors who contended throughout the trial that Gray was "non-combative and docile," and that officers could have safely seat belted him.

Officer William Porter, whose own trial ended in a hung jury, also testified for prosecutors under limited immunity. A composed Porter stated in open court that Gray did not "appear to be in medical distress" and in fact was strong enough to use his legs to help Porter push him off the ground onto the wagon bench at stop four. "There is no possible way I could lift a 150-pound man in that tiny compartment" by myself, he told prosecutors.

Much of the state's theory rested on the timeline of Gray's injury, which will be key in this case. In their closing argument, prosecutors argued Gray was injured between stops 2 and 6, which would have given Goodson at least four opportunities to get Gray medical attention.

The defense presented a different narrative. Using medical experts, the defense sought to show the injury occurred between stops five and six, limiting the time Goodson had to address any issues with Gray.

Another unanticipated but highly crucial witness, Donta Allen, was called to testify by the defense. Allen was the only other prisoner riding on the other side of the police van with Gray. Many speculated Allen would not be called to testify because he has given variations of his story to several news organizations and was considered "unstable" by prosecutors.

Officer Caesar Goodson Jr. Goodson was the driver of the van. He is a 45-year-old and has worked with the Baltimore Police Department since 1999. Baltimore Police
During the trial, Allen initially stated that he had "no memory" of that day, but began to recall events after his video taped police statement was played in court. In the video, Allen states he heard continuous loud banging from Gray's side of the van but that the "the ride was smooth."

However, during cross-examination Allen admitted he was high on Xanax and heroin when he gave his statement to police. He also testified that on the day he was picked up with Gray, he heard someone say "I guess you gave him (Gray) a run for his money because he's unconscious."

But when pressed, he could not identify who made the statement.

Goodson is the third officer to stand trial in the death of Freddie Gray. He is the only officer of the six implicated and charged that did not give investigators a statement regarding what happened the day Gray was injured.

Goodson kept to this stance when he elected not testify on the last day of testimony

Does Baltimore catch fire on Thursday night with the not guilty verdict that is surely coming?

I'm thankful Judge Williams is black.
He can't be called a racist, probably called an Uncle Tom when Thursday comes around.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/ne...-20160622-story.html

Baltimore Sheriff: Office had no role in Freddie Gray investigation

New questions are being raised about State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby's investigation into the death of Freddie Gray, with a top Baltimore Sheriff's Office commander saying in an affidavit that he had "no involvement in the investigation whatsoever."

Mosby said her office conducted an independent investigation that included using city sheriff's deputies. But Assistant Sheriff Samuel Cogen, who was assigned to assist on the case, said he was given evidence after the fact and informed of prosecutors' determination.

"I was also presented with a narrative that formed the basis of the application for statement of charges that I completed by the State's Attorney's Office," said Cogen, who swore out the warrants. "The facts, information and legal conclusions contained within ... as well as the charges lodged against plaintiff came entirely from members of the State's Attorney's Office."

Cogen and Mosby are being sued by five of the six officers charged in the case, and Cogen's affidavit was filed in an effort to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Lt. Brian Rice, who alleges false arrest and defamation as a result of the charges filed against him.

Mosby has said that the sheriff's office aided prosecutors, though Cogen's affidavit suggests the agency had little to no role beyond filling out the warrant.

But while distancing himself from the investigation, Cogen also maintains the charges were supported by "sufficient" probable cause and that it was reasonable to defer to prosecutors' determinations.

Defense attorneys for the officers charged have sought repeatedly to put prosecutors on the stand , saying their active role in the investigation makes them subject to questioning, but so far those efforts have been rebuffed by Judge Barry Williams.

"My involvement was limited to a review of the fruits of the investigations done by the Police Department and State's Attorney's Office," Cogen said.

Cogen said he was shown a chart identifying "the charges to be brought, the evidence supporting those charges, and the related legal analysis" which was explained to him by Schatzow and Bledsoe. He was also given a narrative that formed the basis of the information entered on the warrant.

Cogen said he made "few changes," and Schatzow accompanied him to a District Court Commissioner's office and made a "last minute change to the application involving the medical examiner's description of the injury sustained by Freddie Gray." The medical examiner's office did not make a final ruling on Gray's cause and manner of death until April 30.

Cogen said he did not participate in arresting the officers, and was asked to attend Mosby's press conference at the War Memorial building. "I declined," he wrote.

Cogen says Deputy State's Attorney Antonio Gioia told him that the knife recovered from Gray was legal — a contention prosecutors have since backed off from. Of the legality of the knife, Cogen's attorneys wrote: "The knife was lawful under Maryland state law and he, as a non-lawyer and a sheriff who does not engage in routine enforcement of City ordinance violations, relied on the considered judgment and determination of a deputy prosecutor as to the knife's legality."

************************
A rush to judgment has ruined the lives of 6 officers.

quote:

Mosby has said that the sheriff's office aided prosecutors, though Cogen's affidavit suggests the agency had little to no role beyond filling out the warrant.

But while distancing himself from the investigation, Cogen also maintains the charges were supported by "sufficient" probable cause and that it was reasonable to defer to prosecutors' determinations.

Regardless of your roll you "SWORE" out the warrant!!! This nonsense is just as much on you Mr. Sheriff as it is Mosby.

You have got to be out of your right mind to swear out a warrant on someone else's investigation and evidence. Especially in case case as monumental as this.

^^^
I agree, regardless of his role he swore out the warrant and should be responsible for it. And he's named in the law suit filed by the officers. If there is ever any evidence of wrongdoing in this prosecution, he should face the same penalties as everyone else involved for the city.

But why did he apply for the warrant? Isn't the DA's office capable/permitted to apply for warrants on their own?

Sounds like Cogen was thanked for his Office's assistance, and told to "sign here". Mosby is trying to run a bad circus. Baltimore will most likely burn again.

hey, a little urban renewal is good for city from time to time

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
hey, a little urban renewal is good for city from time to time

Even the cockroaches need new houses from time to time.

This shit show keeps getting better and better! The suit against Mosby and company should go off without a hitch if half of the above information proves true.