Baltimore Lieutenant Rice Not Guilty, All Counts
Baltimore Lieutenant Rice Not Guilty, All Counts
Baltimore Lieutenant Rice
Baltimore, MD – In an unsurprising turn of events, the highest ranking Officer, Lieutenant Rice, was found not guilty on all counts for the in-custody death of Freddie Gray. Judge Barry Williams found Lt. Brian Rice not guilty of reckless endangerment, involuntary manslaughter, and misconduct in office, citing the prosecution had no real evidence to convict him. Sadly, we all already knew that, but Mosby still insisted on putting these heroes through hell to make a political statement. The good news is her witch hunt is coming to an end and these heroes are coming out on top.
NBC News in Washington reports:
Williams previously dismissed a second-degree assault charge, and prosecutors dropped a second misconduct charge.
The judge said the prosecution’s basis for the assault charge was that Rice used the van in the alleged assault. Williams ruled that because Rice didn’t drive the van, prosecutors had no evidence.
Rice is the fourth of the six officers charged to go on trial in Gray’s death. Three officers’ earlier trials resulted in two acquittals and a mistrial.
The other two officers charged, Sgt. Alicia White and Officer Garrett Miller, filed motions to dismiss their cases last month.
Lawnewz.com also reported saying…
Prosecutors argued that Rice should have known of the Baltimore Police’s new policy of making sure that passengers are secured by seat-belts, and that he is responsible for Gray not being buckled in. Prosecutor Janice Bledsoe said in her closing argument that “Lt. Rice’s decisions cannot be be blamed on poor judgement or error,” and that “[i]t was an intentional act that started a chain leading to the death of Freddie Gray.”
The defense countered that Gray’s injuries did not take place until some time between the police van’s fourth and sixth stops after Gray’s arrest, and that Rice didn’t have any contact with him at that point. They also called witnesses who testified that the death should have been deemed an accident. This countered the findings of assistant medical examiner Dr. Carol Allan, who determined that Gray’s death was a homicide.
That makes four trails and four not guilty verdicts for the Baltimore Officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray. We are not surprised by today’s outcome as the prosecution has no real case to convict these police officers of any wrongdoing.
