Here’s the first decent move the Freddie Gray prosecutors have made
Prosecutors in the Freddie Gray cases have now dropped all charges against the remaining three police officers out of the six they have used as scapegoats:
Prosecutors dropped all remaining charges against three Baltimore police officers accused in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray in a downtown courtroom on Wednesday morning, concluding one of the most high-profile criminal cases in Baltimore history.
The startling move was an apparent acknowledgement of the unlikelihood of a conviction following the acquittals of three other officers on similar and more serious charges by Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams, who was expected to preside over the remaining trials as well…
In clearing Nero, Goodson and Rice [in their trials], [Judge] Williams had repeatedly said that prosecutors presented little or no evidence to support their broader theory in the case ”“ that the officers acted unreasonably, and willfully disregarded their training and general orders, when they decided not to secure Gray in a seat belt in the back of a police transport van, and that the decision directly led to his death.
All of the officers had pleaded not guilty. Their attorneys have said they acted reasonably and professionally, and that Gray’s death was the result of a tragic accident.
The decision Wednesday to drop all charges came during what was expected to be a contentious hearing…
I doubt this has been done through an excess of integrity on the part of the prosecutors. No; they see the writing on the wall and realize that pursuing the officers will only bring further shame and embarrassment to themselves.
Plus—and perhaps even more importantly—their scapegoating of the six officers has already served its purpose with the mob. Much of the negative energy has gone on to other, more fertile, fields.
But that’s what scapegoats are for, right? Deflect rage onto convenient targets, and forget about actual guilt or innocence.
Kudos to Judge Williams, who has been a model of—I know it’s an old-fashioned word, but I think it’s the proper one—justice.
Now the officers get to pick up their lives. But where do they go to get their reputations back?
I’m still hoping that the malicious prosecution case against Mosby goes through. And I wonder if the prosecutors who tried to wthhold exculpatory evidence will have justice done to them. But still, very good news for the officers and their families.
the process is the punishment and a lesson to other cops.
Convictions would have suited Mosby much better, but the message is sent.
Neo: “Kudos to Judge Williams, who has been a model of–I know it’s an old-fashioned word, but I think it’s the proper one–justice.”
So much meaning in that sentence. Anyone who knows what the inner city black community is like knows that the judge has been subjected to massive intimidation to be loyal to his race. That such men as Judge Williams are willing to risk their lives for justice is very encouraging to me.
I’m still trying to figure out why the Dems let Baltimore’s mayor open the convention.
Mosby is so angry and still playing the victim.
Expat:
The same kind of tone-deafness that led HRC to make DWS her honorary campaign chair.
(Sheesh, now I’m doing the initializing thing…)
“Where do they go to get their reputations back?”? After repeated vindications – not simply acquittals, but vindications – they go to any cop bar in the country. Probably any bar in the country. Probably anywhere in the country.
“I doubt this has been done through an excess of integrity on the part of the prosecutors. No; they see the writing on the wall and realize that pursuing the officers will only bring further shame and embarrassment to themselves.”
Shame, embarrassment? Surely you jest neo! They only feel frustration that their political witch hunt bore no fruit…
Mosby is a bad person.
This may not sound like much, but that’s actually my ultimate judgment on someone. In other wordrs, I think that she’s evil, and there’s rarely any return from that state.
She’s a worthless human being.
Mosby is just another sullen race baiter and it shows .
I love that Moseby feels she has to issue her press comments in the shrieking tone of a social justice warrior rather than a professional of of the very system she’s supposed to work within. This is the new standard now.