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Judge declares mistrial in Freddie Gray case

By Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Dec 16, 2015

A mistrial has been declared in Baltimore police Officer Wiliam G. Porter's trial against all charges related to the death of Freddie Gray.

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Judge Barry Williams announced a hung jury Wednesday after three days of deliberation didn't yield a decision from the jury.

Williams said the jurors had "clearly been diligent" before he dismissed them.

Porter, 26, faced charges of involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office after the death of Gray in Baltimore in April.

Gray, 25, suffered a broken neck and fatal spinal cord injury in the back of a police transport vehicle after his arrest on April 12. Later, a cellphone video surfaced showing him screaming as he was dragged into the police van.
Porter pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Defense lawyers painted Porter as a "reasonable officer" who saw no obvious signs that Gray was injured and informed other officers of his request to go to the hospital, while the state tried to prove Porter was an apathetic cop who allowed Gray to suffer in a "casket on wheels" by failing to secure the man with a seatbelt or get him immediate medical attention.
The jury presented Williams with a deadlocked stance Tuesday after deliberating for 10 hours. The note did not specify which charges the jury was undecided about. 

That same day, Williams ordered the panel members to continue deliberating.

Wednesday the judge denied the jury's request for a transcript of witness testimony.

A jury must be unanimous in order to reach a verdict on any charge.

A week after his death, in the midst of national protests against police brutality, Gray's funeral prompted intense rioting and looting in the Baltimore.

Porter is the first of six officers charged in Gray's death. If convicted, Porter could face more than 10 years in prison. A mistrial allows for Porter to be retried. The five other officers will be tried individually in 2016.

When the mistrial was announced, a handful of protesters had already begun to gather outside the courthouse.
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