Officer trials in Freddie Gray death will stay in Baltimore

BALTIMORE (AP) – The trials for six police officers charged in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray will be held in Baltimore, a judge ruled Thursday, saying it would be nearly impossible to find a place not inundated by publicity about the high-profile case.

Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams dismissed arguments from the officers’ attorneys, who said the days of riots, protests and citywide curfews would make it difficult to choose unbiased jurors in the city.

The defense also argued the city’s $6.4 million settlement with Gray’s family sent a message that the officers were guilty, but the judge said the settlement doesn’t affect the criminal trials.

“Information is ubiquitous, and every person in the city and state can choose to inundate themselves,” Williams said.

Potential jurors may be asked whether they have been influenced by the coverage, the judge said. As his decision was relayed outside the courthouse, a group of about two dozen protesters cheered and started chanting: “The trial stays here.”

Baltimore sheriff’s deputies stood nearby. At least one demonstrator was arrested the hearing started.

Gray was a 25-year-old man who died after being fatally injured while in police custody in April. Prosecutors have said officers had no reason to stop or chase after Gray, and falsely accused him of having an illegal switchblade when in fact it was a legal pocketknife.

Gray was handcuffed, put in a van and not strapped down with a seatbelt, a direct violation of department policy, and officers ignored his repeated pleas for medical attention, even rerouting the van to pick up another passenger, prosecutors have said. Gray died April 19, a week after his arrest.

His death prompted protests and rioting that shook the city and caused millions of dollars in damage, and has since come to symbolize the broken relationship between the police and the public in Baltimore, and the treatment of black men by police in America.

Attorney Ivan Bates, who argued on behalf of all six officers, said the city’s settlement announced earlier this week sways prospective jurors and indicates “these officers are guilty, and if they are not guilty, why are we paying them $6.4 million?”

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake acknowledged the settlement before a trial was unusual, but she said it was important to help bring closure to Gray’s family. She said she was confident the judge made the right decision to hold the trials in Baltimore.

“It will allow the city to focus on healing,” she said.

Prosecutors said high-profile trials such as the Boston Marathon bomber and the D.C. sniper in Montgomery County, Maryland, were successfully held locally. The only circumstance under which a change of venue is appropriate is in “a small community where you have an armed lynch mob at the door,” Chief Deputy State’s Attorney Michael Schatzow said.

In his argument, Schatzow said the riots were “confined to a relatively small geographic area” and not widespread enough to affect all Baltimore residents.

Andrew Levy, a Baltimore defense attorney and an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland School of Law, said a change of venue was unlikely at this early stage in the proceedings, but he said the defense might raise the issue again when they’re questioning potential jurors. The judge said he would entertain those arguments at that time.

Picking a jury will be a challenge, Levy said, because while jurors may believe they can be impartial about a highly publicized case, they may also fear for their safety in the event of an acquittal.

“It’s not just the concern that they’ve already formed an opinion in the case,” Levy said. “In a way, they have a vested interest in the outcome.”

Samuel Walker, a criminal justice professor at the University of Nebraska said it’s hard to ignore the fact that this is the central event in the city since the spring.

“It’s very likely that many people will have formed opinions. It’s just a fact of life. I think keeping the door open for reconsideration is extremely important,” he said.

Defense attorneys estimated the number of eligible jurors in the city at about 276,000.

The trials are tentatively scheduled to begin Oct. 13.

The six officers were indicted in May and face charges ranging from second-degree assault to second-degree murder.

All six officers, including Edward Nero and Garrett Miller, are charged with second-degree assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment. Lt. Brian Rice, Sgt. Alicia White and Officer William Porter also face a manslaughter charge, while Officer Caesar Goodson faces the most serious charge of all: second-degree “depraved-heart” murder.