BALTIMORE (AP) – Is it ethical for Baltimore’s top prosecutor, who staked her reputation on charging six police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, to keep trying for a conviction? Legal experts said Friday that State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby is obligated to consider this question.
Mosby seemed devastated after the trial judge said he’s seen no evidence a crime was committed when the young black man’s neck was broken in the back of a police van last year.
The acquittal of van driver Caesar Goodson on all counts Thursday was more than just a courtroom setback, given the stakes Mosby raised when she announced the charges shortly after riots shook the city.
Stressing the ethical demands of her office and repeatedly invoking the civil unrest, Mosby vowed then to represent the aggrieved citizens of Baltimore who “experienced injustice at the hands of police officers.”
“To the people of Baltimore and the demonstrators across America: I heard your call for ‘No justice, no peace,” she declared, her voice rising in righteousness and outrage. “You’re at the forefront of this cause and as young people, our time is now.”