Day Two of Jury Deliberations – Judge Williams tells them to start over and try again…

BALTIMORE – Jurors in the trial of Officer William Porter reported Tuesday afternoon that they were deadlocked — but Judge Barry Williams sent them back to continue deliberating.

The jurors considering whether Porter is guilty of manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office had spent about nine hours deliberating when attorneys were called back into Williams’ courtroom at about 3:30 p.m. for a jury note. (more…)

The jury is now deliberating in the case against Officer William Porter.  Baltimore Mayor Rawlings-Blake has activated emergency operations in anticipation of the verdict – in case of riots.  Legal observers think it could go either way depending on the emotional influence in the jury.   (Legal Insurrection has a breakdown of the closing arguments HERE)

(Via Baltimore Sun) Prosecutors said in closing arguments Monday that Officer William G. Porter‘s failure to help Freddie Gray turned a police arrest van into a “casket on wheels,” while Porter’s defense attorneys said the state’s case was based on theories and asks jurors to fill in the blanks.

While prosecutors had hinted at it during trial, Chief Deputy State’s Attorney Michael Schatzow directly accused Porter of lying about his account and suggested a “coverup.”

Defense attorney Joseph Murtha said there were high legal bars for the state to reach with its evidence in order for jurors to convict — bars they had failed to reach. (more…)

The lede is buried in this WBAL story and totally absent in the Baltimore Sun story.  Prosecution witness Dontae Allen is in federal custody in New York – Wait, wha.. huh?

The revelation surfaces as Judge Barry Williams ponders sanctions against prosecutor Marilyn Mosby for attempting to hide statements by Allen which would seem to vindicate the Baltimore Six officers.  Allen previously stated he heard Freddie Gray trying to injure himself inside the police transport vehicle; Mosby tried to hide the statements.

Perhaps this is why Judge Williams has now placed a gag-order on the entire case barring the State Attorney and defense attorneys from discussing the case in the media.  The gag order will be finalized Wednesday (TODAY).

(more…)

Porter was the only one not to attend the hearing.  It appears Marilyn Mosby is leveraging Porter against the other five defendants; perhaps that explains Porter’s absence in court.

(Via Baltimore Sun) The six Baltimore police officers charged in Freddie Gray’s arrest and death will be tried separately over the course of the next several months, with proceedings against Officer William G. Porter starting Nov. 30.
The new timeline, which pushes the trials back from a previously scheduled date of Oct. 13, was established during a hearing in Circuit Court on Tuesday afternoon, where five of the six officers appeared before Judge Barry Williams for the first time. Porter waived his right to attend the hearing.
[…] The delay in Porter’s trial came at the request of the defense which said it needed time for further investigation. The delays in the five other officers’ trials came at the request of the state and was granted by Williams over the objections of the officers’ attorneys. (more…)

Yes Alice, DeRay McKesson is going to be teaching at Yale, and now Jamal Bryant announces he’s running for congress.  Bryant will be targeting the congressional seat currently occupied by Elijah Cummings, as Cummings is widely expected to run for the Senate.

Many people will remember Jamal Bryant from his involvement with the Freddie Gray protesting community.  However, some might remember Bryant from his involvement with the fraudulent narrative surrounding Trayvon Martin fiasco.  From his announcement:
(BALTIMORE CBS) […]  “After prayer, soul searching and long deliberation, I am officially- -announcing my candidacy for Congress of the United States representing the 7^th Congressional District,” he said in a statement. “After the Freddie Gray uprising, the proliferation of police brutality across this nation, the lack of jobs, widespread poverty and hopelessness throughout our urban areas, I decided that leading a successful congregation and building a great church is not enough. I want to contribute to public policy in Washington.” (more…)

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake says she will not seek re-election:

“We all know that this is a very critical time in our city; many important decisions lie ahead, both in recovering from April’s unrest and managing our city through the multiple trials that are coming up. Over the past few months as I’ve been making plans for what I know is a vigorous campaign I realize that every moment that I spent planning for a campaign or re-election was time that I was taking away from my current responsibilities to the city. To the city that I love and the city that I took an oath to serve, and because of that I’ve made the decision to not seek re-election.” (more…)

Activist Judge Barry Williams gave activist Prosecutor Marilyn Mosby a big assist in her goal to convict six Baltimore police officers.  Williams ruled against a venue change motion while saying there’s no evidence they will be unable to seat an impartial jury.
The pre-trial hearings continue this afternoon.

(Via Baltimore Sun) A Baltimore Circuit Court judge ruled Thursday morning that the trials of six police officers charged in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray will stay in Baltimore, saying the defense had failed to prove that the officers cannot receive a fair trial in the city.

“The citizens of Baltimore are not monolithic,” Judge Barry Williams said in his ruling. “They think for themselves.”

(more…)

Keep in mind:  ♦ no wrongdoing has ever been found;  ♦ Marilyn Mosby’s private attorney is the same attorney as Freddie Gray’s family;  ♦ The Gray family never filed a lawsuit, so this is not a “settlement” per se’;  ♦ The possibility of any police wrongful conduct being found during trial is quite probably nil; ♦ The maximum payout under Maryland state law, if lawsuit filed – and if police misconduct could be identified, would have been $400k.

UPDATE:  The nine-page agreement, obtained Wednesday by The Baltimore Sun, shows that Gray’s mother, Gloria Darden, will receive $5.36 million. Gray’s father, Freddie Gray Sr., will receive $640,000. The remainder, $400,000, will be paid to the “Estate of Freddie Gray Jr.”
The city agrees to pay $1.8 million within 15 days, to be divided proportionately among the parities, according to the document. Another $1 million must be paid by Nov. 1.
The remaining $3.6 million will be paid out in the next fiscal year. (link)
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Martin O’Malley was the Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 – 2007.  State Attorney Marilyn Mosby said in an interview this weekend the current explosive murder rate within Baltimore is his fault.
(Via Breitbart)  […]  During the taping of the local show “Square Off,” Maryland Shock Trauma physician-in-chief Dr. Thomas Scalea said the worsening violence in the city “seems temporally related to the riots.”
But Mosby completely disagreed with that assessment. “I think the violence was already going up. When you look at January, it was already like 28 murders,” she said.
Mosby claimed that O’Malley’s “zero tolerance” policies led to a climate of mistrust between residents and the police force and despite that O’Malley hasn’t headed the city for eight years, those sour feelings have somehow fueled the city’s violence this year. (more…)

Mosby is a very lucky State Attorney. Maryland state law prohibits cameras and recording devices in court rooms. Her ineptitude, and the weakness behind the false construct of her case, will be masked without sunlight. Unfortunately, we are going to have to rely on reporters and media accounts for details.

Update 6:00pm – SEPARATE TRIALS – A judge on Wednesday ordered that six Baltimore Police officers charged in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray be tried separately.
The ruling was one of three that Judge Barry Williams handed down during the first pre-trial motions hearing in the case. Williams earlier denied defense motions to dismiss charges against the officers and to recuse State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby’s office from the case.
Prosecutors sought to have the six officers tried in groups, while defense attorneys had argued their clients should be tried separately.  Williams said trying the officers together would not be “in the interest of justice.”  (link) (more…)