[LIVE BLOG] Maryland Court Of Appeals Hears Freddie Gray CaseSonia Dasgupta, CBS Baltimore
The trials of the remaining five officers charged in Freddie Gray’s death have been put on hold pending a decision from the Maryland Court of Special Appeals.
Judge Barry Williams Officer Caeser Goodson’s trial will remain in recess until the Court of Special Appeals makes a ruling into whether or not Officer William Porter will be forced to testify in the second trial in the Freddie Gray case.
Williams determined the following before Goodson’s trial:
The Goodson trial will stay in Baltimore.
The jury will remain anonymous, but won’t be sequestered.
The jurors will be able to see the police van during the trial.
The jury will not hear about Gray’s previous medical history during the trial.
Officer Porter will have to testify in the other trials, unless Court of Special Appeals rules otherwise.
Porter’s attorneys however filed an injunction in the Court of Special Appeals saying Williams was infringing on Porter’s constitutional right to plead the fifth and not testify in the other officers’ trials.
The Court of Special Appeals issued a stay — giving Porter temporary relief from testifying.
Today they are reviewing the case and hearing arguments for why Williams’ decision to order Porter to testify in the other officers’ cases could hurt his retrial and goes against his right to plead the fifth.
Porter was the first officer to go on trial in the case, but a mistrial was declared after three days of jury deliberations in December.
The city state’s attorney has decided to retry Officer William Porter in the case — but not until June 13, 2016 — after the remaining five officers in the case are tried.
Goodson faces the most serious charge of depraved heart murder.
The judge also expects Porter to testify in the trial of Sgt. Alicia White, but said he would not force Porter to testify in the other three officers’ trials.
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