Top row from left, Baltimore police officers Caesar R. Goodson Jr., Garrett E. Miller and Edward M. Nero, and bottom row from left, William G. Porter, Brian W. Rice and Alicia D. White.
AP
BALTIMORE — A judge on Thursday will decide whether or not to move the criminal trials of six police officers accused of killing Freddie Gray out of Baltimore, after the defense argued in court filings that the level of publicity in the case would make it difficult to find an impartial jury.
Gray, a 25-year-old black resident of Baltimore's impoverished west side, died on April 19 of spine injuries withstood while riding in a police van. His death sparked widespread protests against police brutality and triggered disorder, during which rioters looted several stores and set fire to more than one hundred cars.
Marilyn Mosby
Andrew Burton / Getty Images
The unrest subsided on May 1, when State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, Baltimore's top prosecutor, announced her intention to charge the six officers involved in Gray's fatal arrest with crimes ranging from murder to misconduct in office. All of the officers pleaded not guilty.
At Thursday's hearing, defense lawyers for the officers will try to make the case that Mosby's comments on May 1 — in which she offered her support to the peaceful protesters demanding an end to police brutality — prejudiced potential jurors against the officers.
On the other side, Mosby's team is expected to insist that the process of jury selection could weed out any partial jurors, ensuring fair trials for all of the officers.
There is concern that if Judge Barry Williams decides to move the trial, that it could anger activists and community members, who repeatedly said they wanted the officers to be tried in the city. Ever since the court scheduled the hearing, many in Baltimore worried that moving the venue of the trials could trigger unrest like the one seen in April.
A group of protesters gathered outside of the courthouse last Wednesday, when Williams denied a defense petition to force Mosby to withdraw from the case, but also allowed each officer to have an individual trial.
Last week's protests were short lived, with the peaceful demonstrators dispersing shortly after nightfall.
Billy Murphy
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Earlier this week, the city announced that it had awarded Gray's surviving family members a $6.4 million civil settlement. Billy Murphy, an attorney for the Gray family, told reporters Wednesday that the announcement was meant to have a "calming effect" on the city.
Whether that calming effect is felt in the city on Thursday night remains to be seen.
LINK: The Short Hard Life Of Freddie Gray
LINK: People In Baltimore Are Worried About More Riots As Freddie Gray Case Heads To Court
LINK: Six Officers Charged In Freddie Gray’s Death Will Be Tried Individually
LINK: Freddie Gray Lawyer Says $6.4 Million Settlement Was Intended To “Calm” Baltimore
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