A Maryland judge has announced a trial date for next year for the Baltimore police officer who was involved in the unlawful arrest and death of 25 year old Freddie Gray.
Officer William Porter was the first of six officers to be tried in connection with Gray’s death, which resulted from injuries sustained while in police custody. The trial of Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., who faces the most serious charge of second-degree depraved heart murder, is still scheduled to begin Jan. 6, stated Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams.
With charges still hanging over his head after a mistrial last week, Porter is predicted to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if called as a witness against Officer Goodson. If prosecutors want Porter to testify or want even to introduce his statements to police investigators, they likely will have to grant him immunity.
Porter’s first trial ended in a hung jury on the charges of involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office. His retrial date is set for June 13.
Freddie Gray died after being arrested and transported to a Baltimore police facility on April 12. He died one wek later and all six of the officers that were involved in his arrest and transport are facing criminal charges in connection with his death.