Just like three officers before him, Lt. Brian Rice of the Baltimore Police department has been found not guilty on all the charges that were thrown at him by corrupt prosecutor Marilyn Mosby after the death of Freddie Gray:
CNN – Baltimore Police Lt. Brian Rice was found not guilty on all charges tied to the death of Freddie Gray. Rice, the highest-ranking officer to stand trial over Gray’s death, had been charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office. Judge Barry Williams issued the ruling.
Rice is the fourth of the six officers charged in the case to stand trial. Earlier this year, officers Edward Nero and Caesar Goodson Jr. were acquitted on all charges in bench trials. The trial of officer William Porter ended in a mistrial in December after a jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on any of the four charges against him.
JUST IN: Baltimore officer not guilty in Freddie Gray case https://t.co/IhnomAZa3j
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) July 18, 2016
Here’s more:
BALTIMORE SUN – Prosecutors in Baltimore have failed for the fourth time to secure a conviction in the Freddie Gray case, with Circuit Judge Barry Williams acquitting Lt. Brian Rice of all charges related to Gray’s arrest and death.
Williams cleared Rice, 42, of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office in a downtown Baltimore courtroom on Monday morning. The judge had dismissed a second-degree assault charge at the trial’s midpoint, and prosecutors dropped a second misconduct charge at the start.
Prosecutors alleged Rice, the highest-ranking officer of the six charged, had caused Gray’s death by failing to secure him in a seat belt in the back of the police transport van in which he suffered severe spinal cord injuries last year. Gray, 25, died a week after his arrest. His death sparked widespread protests against police brutality.
Deputy State’s Attorney Janice Bledsoe, during closing arguments in the case, said Gray’s death “cannot be blamed on poor judgment or error,” and that Rice’s intentional actions “put together formed a chain” of events that caused Gray’s death.
Rice’s defense attorneys said his actions were reasonable given the volatility of the scene at the time, Gray’s combativeness and the danger associated with placing a detainee in a seat belt in the close quarters of the van’s rear compartment.
“Everything about it was professional, correct,” said Michael Belsky, Rice’s attorney.
In order to convict Rice of involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors had to prove that he acted in a grossly negligent manner and was aware of the risks to Gray but disregarded them. For reckless endangerment, they had to prove that Rice was aware of the risks and acted unreasonably. For misconduct, they had to prove he corruptly failed to carry out an act required of him.
Williams had seemed skeptical of the basis of the charges during closing arguments Thursday, asking Chief Deputy State’s Attorney Michael Schatzow whether the prosecution believed that the failure to seat belt Gray was in itself a crime.
“The simple fact he didn’t do it means he’s guilty of these crimes?” Williams asked.
Schatzow said it did, based on the circumstances. Belsky said the prosecution’s theory, if upheld by the judge, would set a “very dangerous precedent.”
On Monday, Williams said prosecutors had not met their burden of proving Rice’s guilt.
As with the others, the prosecution could not prove their case and Rice is finally being vindicated. I just hope Mosby pays for what she’s done here in trumping up phony charges against these officers who were just doing their duty.