Maryland Supreme Court Delays Baltimore Police Officers Trials

The court trial prosecutions of the Baltimore police officers charged over the death of Freddie Gray ordered to be put on hold by the Maryland Supreme Court. The highest court considers whether another officer has to testify against the other officers.

According to CNN News, the panel of judges still unable to come up with a decision on whether Officer William Porter can be compelled to testify against the other remaining officer. The decision will delay Officer Edward Nero's trial, which was scheduled to begin Monday. Same goes the other trials for Garret Miller, Brian Rice, and Officer Porter's retrial. The trials of the other two officers, Caesar Goodson and Alicia White, had been delayed by a previous decision.

The trial of Officer Porter who was charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment ended in a mistrial in December. Prosecutors have appealed rulings on whether Porter must testify. The Maryland court of appeals said late Thursday that it would hear all the appeals together on the 3^rd of March. Porter's lawyers are against the  to testify and insist it is illegal, Washington Times reported.

Officer Porter's trial will be rescheduled in June after his case trial was deadlocked. According to the Guardian, Judge Barry Williams ruled the prosecution that could make Porter to testify on Caesar Goodson's trial. Goodson is the driver of the van on which the victim, Gray sustained fatal injury.

Freddie Gray, 25, suffered a fatal spinal injury a broken neck in police custody and died a week later in April 2015 after being shackled without a seat belt in the police van. The six police officers face charges ranging from misconduct in office to second-degree depraved-heart murder. Goodson, who drove the police van carrying Gray is charged with second-degree depraved-heart murder. If convicted, he will be sentenced to 30 years imprisonment.

Other charges Goodson faces includes involuntary manslaughter, second-degree negligent assault, manslaughter by vehicle or gross negligence, manslaughter by vehicle or criminal negligence, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.

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Baltimore officers trial, Maryland Supreme Court, Freddie Gray, William Porter, Porter Testimony

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