I don’t predict the weather here at LU, but my forecast for Baltimore is for rioting mixed with looting this evening through Friday, with tensions tapering off, giving way to a cold front.
A one-sentence post from the Associated Press via WISH tells the story: “Judge declares hung jury after panel can’t reach decision in Freddie Gray trial.”
NBC fleshes out the ruling:
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In what is a perceived legal blow for prosecutors, the jury was hung and the judge declared a mistrial in the trial of Baltimore police officer William Porter in the case of Freddie Gray’s death after sustaining injuries while in custody.
Porter was charged with manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office in the April 19 death of Gray, who died a week after his neck was broken during a ride in the back of a police van. Gray’s death and the subsequent unrest in Baltimore brought to the fore long simmering tensions over socioeconomic disparity and the relationship between law enforcement and the minority communities they serve.
The fact that Porter, shown below, is black in no way mitigates the argument of Black Lives Matter and its far left enablers that racism was a factor in Gray’s death.
CNN further notes that the jury deliberated for nearly 11 hours before declaring insurmountable obstacles to arriving at any kind of unanimous verdict. The defense, meanwhile, moved for a change of venue, but the request was denied.
Next up on the docket pertaining to the Gray case is the trial of the driver of the van, Caesar Goodson, which is set to begin next month. Goodson, who is also black, is the lead defendant in the indictment and was charged with the most serious offense — second-degree murder with a depraved heart. If found guilty, he could face up to 60 years in prison.
The video that follows contains reactions to today’s hung jury and a preview of coming attractions.
