A mistrial was declared Wednesday in the trial of Baltimore police Officer William G. Porter for the April 2015 death of Freddie Gray, because of a hung jury.
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. He was the first of six officers to stand trial in Gray’s death.
Here are five things to know about the hung jury:
1) The jury was unable to reach a verdict after three days of deliberations on any of the charges of involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office. Each charge required a unanimous verdict.
2) Judge Barry Williams declared the mistrial and dismissed the jurors after noting they had "clearly been diligent."
3) A mistrial is neither an acquittal nor a conviction. It is up to the prosecutor to decide whether to retry the defendant. In Porter's case, "Attorneys are expected to appear in court Thursday morning in front of an administrative judge to pick a retrial date," according to the Baltimore Sun.
Because of a gag order on all cases related to Freddie Gray, prosecutors declined to comment on plans for a retrial.
4) The Baltimore Sun says "it's unclear whether Porter's retrial will affect the trial dates for the other five officers, who are scheduled to be tried separately and consecutively beginning Jan. 6."
5) If convicted of similar charges in a retrial, Porter could still face more than 10 years in prison.
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