All Eyes Will Be on These Key Players as Baltimore's Police Brutality Trials Heat Up
BY COLIN DAILEDA
The first of six officers implicated in the death of Baltimore resident Freddie Gray went on trial on Monday, the start of court proceedings that are likely to take months and may shape the city's relationship with its citizens for years to come.
Gray died in April, one week after he suffered a cracked spine in the back of a police van. His death sparked protests that occasionally turned violent in the days that followed, and those demonstrations put Baltimore at the center of ongoing nationwide protests against police brutality.
At the heart of the six trials are key figures with contrasting ideas about justice, the future of Baltimore and what happened to Gray the day he died. Here's a closer look at some of the people at the center of America's biggest police brutality case:
Mosby, 35, shot to national fame on May 1, when she announced charges against the six officers.
She is the youngest top prosecutor in a major American city, and she made it plain that she wasn't afraid to prosecute police when she unseated the former state's attorney in 2014.
"I'm going to apply justice fairly — even to those who wear a badge," Mosby said after she won the Democratic nomination.
Baltimore's top prosecutor grew up in Boston, and is the daughter of a police officer.
Prosecuting attorneys
Former United States District Court attorney Michael Schatzow has 42 years of experience. He'll be working alongside Janice Bledsoe, who once defended Gray in a separate case.
Bledsoe also once worked with a defense attorney for one of the accused officers. She successfully defended a policeman accused of raping women.
Andrew Graham, the attorney for the only officer accused of second-degree murder, once defended a former Baltimore police commissioner who pleaded guilty to lying about his tax returns and plotting to misuse city money. Graham worked on that case with Joseph Murtha, an attorney representing another officer who will go on trial for Gray's death.
Catherine Flynn, the defense attorney for officer Garrett Miller, represented a police officer involved in an in-custody death in 2013.
Attorney Michael Belsky represents officer Brian Rice, the highest ranking officer involved in Gray's arrest and death. He has also previously defended police officers accused of misconduct.
Ivan Bates will defend officer Alicia White. He once represented a Drug Enforcement Agency officer accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars while investigating the online illegal marketplace known as Silk Road.
Marc Zayon, who will defend officer Edward Nero, previously succeeded in defending one of three police officers accused of raping a woman.
William Porter, one of six Baltimore city police officers charged in connection to the death of Freddie Gray, arrives at a courthouse for jury selection in his trial, on Nov. 30, in Baltimore.
Baltimore officers Caesar Goodson Jr., William Porter, Brian Rice, Edward Nero, Garrett Miller and Alicia White are charged with varying crimes related to Gray's death.
Though all of them are charged with misconduct, assault and reckless endangerment, only four are charged with manslaughter. Goodson Jr. drove the police van, and he faces the most serious charge — second-degree depraved-heart murder.
Rice is one of three officers who initiated Gray's allegedly unlawful arrest, and he's had violent episodes before. He's been accused of threatening the life of an ex-girlfriend and threatening the husband of another ex-partner.
Miller chased Gray down alongside Rice and Nero, and is accused of false imprisonment.
Nero, a longtime volunteer firefighter, also stands accused of false imprisonment. He and Miller allegedly denied Gray his inhaler when the man requested it during the arrest.
White was tasked with investigating two complaints about Gray's arrest before she was charged. Mosby accused her of providing no medical assistance to Gray during one of the several stops officers made from the arrest location on the way to the police department.
Porter's trial began Monday. He is accused of not strapping Gray into the van with a seatbelt and not providing medical assistance when Gray asked for help.
Judge Barry Williams
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams has years of experience as a litigator for the United States Department of Justice, and recently led the criminal division of the circuit court.
He's already had a huge impact on the case, ruling that the officers will have separate trials, and that those trials will be held in Baltimore.
The first of six officers implicated in the death of Baltimore resident Freddie Gray went on trial on Monday, the start of court proceedings that are likely to take months and may shape the city's relationship with its citizens for years to come.
Gray died in April, one week after he suffered a cracked spine in the back of a police van. His death sparked protests that occasionally turned violent in the days that followed, and those demonstrations put Baltimore at the center of ongoing nationwide protests against police brutality.
At the heart of the six trials are key figures with contrasting ideas about justice, the future of Baltimore and what happened to Gray the day he died. Here's a closer look at some of the people at the center of America's biggest police brutality case:
Mosby, 35, shot to national fame on May 1, when she announced charges against the six officers.
She is the youngest top prosecutor in a major American city, and she made it plain that she wasn't afraid to prosecute police when she unseated the former state's attorney in 2014.
"I'm going to apply justice fairly — even to those who wear a badge," Mosby said after she won the Democratic nomination.
Baltimore's top prosecutor grew up in Boston, and is the daughter of a police officer.
Prosecuting attorneys
Former United States District Court attorney Michael Schatzow has 42 years of experience. He'll be working alongside Janice Bledsoe, who once defended Gray in a separate case.
Bledsoe also once worked with a defense attorney for one of the accused officers. She successfully defended a policeman accused of raping women.
Andrew Graham, the attorney for the only officer accused of second-degree murder, once defended a former Baltimore police commissioner who pleaded guilty to lying about his tax returns and plotting to misuse city money. Graham worked on that case with Joseph Murtha, an attorney representing another officer who will go on trial for Gray's death.
Catherine Flynn, the defense attorney for officer Garrett Miller, represented a police officer involved in an in-custody death in 2013.
Attorney Michael Belsky represents officer Brian Rice, the highest ranking officer involved in Gray's arrest and death. He has also previously defended police officers accused of misconduct.
Ivan Bates will defend officer Alicia White. He once represented a Drug Enforcement Agency officer accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars while investigating the online illegal marketplace known as Silk Road.
Marc Zayon, who will defend officer Edward Nero, previously succeeded in defending one of three police officers accused of raping a woman.
William Porter, one of six Baltimore city police officers charged in connection to the death of Freddie Gray, arrives at a courthouse for jury selection in his trial, on Nov. 30, in Baltimore.
Baltimore officers Caesar Goodson Jr., William Porter, Brian Rice, Edward Nero, Garrett Miller and Alicia White are charged with varying crimes related to Gray's death.
Though all of them are charged with misconduct, assault and reckless endangerment, only four are charged with manslaughter. Goodson Jr. drove the police van, and he faces the most serious charge — second-degree depraved-heart murder.
Rice is one of three officers who initiated Gray's allegedly unlawful arrest, and he's had violent episodes before. He's been accused of threatening the life of an ex-girlfriend and threatening the husband of another ex-partner.
Miller chased Gray down alongside Rice and Nero, and is accused of false imprisonment.
Nero, a longtime volunteer firefighter, also stands accused of false imprisonment. He and Miller allegedly denied Gray his inhaler when the man requested it during the arrest.
White was tasked with investigating two complaints about Gray's arrest before she was charged. Mosby accused her of providing no medical assistance to Gray during one of the several stops officers made from the arrest location on the way to the police department.
Porter's trial began Monday. He is accused of not strapping Gray into the van with a seatbelt and not providing medical assistance when Gray asked for help.
Judge Barry Williams
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams has years of experience as a litigator for the United States Department of Justice, and recently led the criminal division of the circuit court.
He's already had a huge impact on the case, ruling that the officers will have separate trials, and that those trials will be held in Baltimore.
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