The Freddie Gray case: And then there were none
The Baltimore judicial railroad of the six police officers who handled Freddie Gray has come to an end. We have just heard of some justice coming from Mobtown!
The final charges against Baltimore police officers involved in the Freddie Gray case have been dropped[.] ...
The state's attorney in Baltimore on Wednesday dropped all remaining charges against three city police officers awaiting trial in the death of Freddie Gray, ending one of the most closely watched – and unsuccessful – police prosecutions in the nation.
... [P]rosecutors were unable to secure a single conviction during the first four trials[.]
For a prosecutor who had just been humiliated in a court of law, she seemed rather arrogant:
As a chief prosecutor for Baltimore City, I took an oath to uphold justice, and to treat every individual in my jurisdiction equally and fairly under the law. I take my oath very seriously. Since the start of my administration, we have been and continue to be wholly committed to creating a fair and equitable justice system for all. And holding people accountable for crimes that they commit regardless of age, race, color, sex, creed, socioeconomic status or in this case, occupation. As a chief prosecutor, elected by the people of Baltimore City, I made a promise that my prosecutors and I will never cower from our obligation to prosecute crimes where we believe we have probable cause that a crime was committed[.] …
And despite the challenges of not having an independent investigatory agency to work with us throughout this [prosecution] we still are grateful for the opportunity to show the world the reality of the justice system from start to finish. At every step of the way, due process was afforded to all of these officers[.]
Ms. Mosby had the results of the investigation for less than 24 hours (so much for due process) before she went out and attempted to poison the jury pool (hung jury on the first shot). She made a complete ass out of herself, overcharging officers who were guilty of, at most serious, department policy violation. Her excuse of a lack of an "independent investigatory agency" is humorous. If she had asked the U.S. attorney, the Maryland attorney general, or any other agency to assist in this investigation, any one of those individuals would have been there. But she wanted to ride these innocent officers to the next level of her political career. It remains to be seen whether this disaster has stopped, but if I were Ms. Mosby, I'd be speaking with a lawyer in preparation for the coming civil suits.
Does Ms. Mosby not think Vogue will be calling for an interview? She seemed so cocksure last year, with more than enough evidence that Gray injured himself to raise reasonable doubt before she brought the case to a grand jury. But she went on. Perhaps she hoped an O.J. Simpson jury would find them guilty in spite of the evidence. Perhaps she wanted a political victory to boost her future to a federal judgeship or high Department of Justice position. Or she expected to use this to lead her to the mayor's office.
There are multiple people relived right now, such as the six officers who've had their lives and careers destroyed by Ms. Mosby's attempted railroad. Cops in general are having a sigh of relief, knowing there is some chance of justice against a radical prosecutor.
And the man most relieved? Mike Nifong. He's off the hook as the greatest example of prosecutor misconduct in the modern era.
No, I don't think Vogue will be calling soon.
Update. The Slammer comments:
Michael A. Thiac is a police patrol sergeant and a retired Army intelligence officer. When not patrolling the streets, he can be found on A Cop's Watch.