Officer in Freddie Gray Case Acquitted

"Prosecutors have been unable to secure a conviction on any count."

6.23.2016

Another officer in the Freddie Gray case has been acquitted of all criminal charges.

Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., 46, was acquitted Thursday by circuit Judge Barry Williams, who deemed Goodson not guilty of second-degree depraved heart murder, three counts of manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office.

After deliberating for three days, Judge Williams determined the prosecution had failed to prove Officer Goodson guilty of any criminal negligence based on the evidence presented. Goodson waved his right to a jury trial, electing a bench trial for Judge Williams to decide instead.

"As the trier of fact, the court can't simply let things speak for themselves," Williams said.

Goodson, who drove the van when Freddie Gray sustained fatal spinal cord injuries, had been alleged by prosecutors to have demonstrated a "depraved heart" for failing to render aid to Gray after his neck broke. Prosecutors also alleged that Goodson's failure to buckle Gray in the back of the van's steel cage showed criminal negligence.

Judge Williams rejected both allegations, saying there were a number of "equally plausible scenarios" for Gray's death that didn't include a "depraved heart."

"This injury manifested itself internally," said Williams. "That is one of the key issues here. If the doctors are not clear as to what would be happening at this point in time, how would the average person or officer without medical training know?"

Though Judge Williams did concede that Goodson showed civil negligence by failing to buckle Gray – a policy in place just six days prior to the incident – that did not make him criminally responsible. The city has already paid Gray's family a sum total of $6.4 million in a civil settlement suit.

From the Baltimore Sun:

After three trials, prosecutors have been unable to secure a conviction on any count. The first trial, of Officer William Porter, ended in a hung jury and mistrial last December. The second, of Nero, ended last month with Nero being acquitted of all charges by Williams in a bench trial.

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

Tessa Hill-Aston, president of the Baltimore NAACP, deemed the verdict a miscarriage of justice.

"We have to go back to the drawing board here in Baltimore and Maryland with rules and regulations and laws that affect the police behavior," she said, "because it's clear that they can do action that we feel is not correct, but in the courtroom ... is not a criminal act."