Judge Finds Prosecutors Withheld Evidence in Freddie Gray Officer Case

From ABC News via H/T at Instapundit:

Why are Democrat-run Cities such cesspits of Official misconduct?

The judge overseeing the trial of a police officer charged with murder in the death of Freddie Gray has determined that prosecutors withheld information that would have been beneficial to the defense.

Judge Barry Williams was visibly angry in the Baltimore court, but he did not dismiss the charges against police officer Caesar Goodson, as his attorneys had requested. Williams is giving prosecutors until Monday to disclose any other relevant evidence they have withheld. Goodson was the driver of the van during the arrest of Gray, 25, last year.

One party rule leads to lack of accountability.

Baltimore Cops’ Trials Pushed Back In Freddie Gray Case

From The Daily Caller:

The Baltimore police officers charged in Freddie Gray’s death have hit yet another hiccup.

Maryland’s highest court ruled Thursday to postpone their trials until the Maryland Court of Appeals decides whether one cop can be forced to testify against his fellow officers, The Baltimore Sun reports.

The decision comes after Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams’s order that William G. Porter could be compelled to testify, even though he has pleaded the fifth and has pending charges for which he will be tried. Williams’s decision was called highly unusual by many legal experts.

The prosecution’s case will likely rely heavily on Porter’s testimony, so compelling him to testify is crucial. The next case for one of the officers was set to begin jury selection Monday but now will be suspended for an undetermined length of time.

Compelled testimony in violation of one's 5th amendment right? Only liberals would approve, if it's cop testifying.

Appeals Court Stays Key Order in Freddy Gray Cases

From Powerline Blog:

I wrote here about Judge Barry Williams’ order that Officer William Porter, who is awaiting retrial, will have to testify against colleagues who also are charged in the Freddy Gray cases. Porter argued that the Fifth Amendment gives him the right not to testify, inasmuch as he is still in legal jeopardy and his testimony might tend to incriminate him, but the judge rejected this contention. As I noted, Porter’s lawyers promptly took the matter to the appeals court, seeking an injunction.

Today, the appeals court granted the injunction. It is only a temporary one — a stay. The injunction protects Porter from having to testify while the three-judge court sorts its way through the legal issues raised by Judge Williams’ apparently unprecedented ruling.

Wow, that was close!

Let's see if they are seious.

Baltimore Judge Guts the 5th Amendment

From The American Thinker Blog:

Just a day after a weeping President Obama attempted to disembowel the 2d Amendment with a series of unconstitutional executive orders, a liberal judge in Maryland, caving to the mob justice in that plagues that benighted city, gutted the 5th Amendment. This occurred during a pre-trial hearing in the case of Officer Caesar R. Goodson, the second Baltimore City policeman to be tried criminally in the allegedly accidental death of small-time hood Freddie Gray. The prosecution asked Judge Barry G. Williams to compel Officer William G. Porter, to testify against Goodson, and the judge, over the strenuous opposition of the defense, granted the motion.

So, they 5th Amendment doesn't apply, when it get's in the way of the agenda. Explains liberals treatment of the 1at and 2nd Amendment.

Baltimore approves huge settlement to family of Freddie Gray

From Hot Air:

Yesterday Ed broke the news about an agreement which had been reached between the City of Baltimore and the family of Freddie Gray in which they would be paid $6.4M to avoid any sort of civil claims or liabilities on the part of the city. The Baltimore PD is up in arms and even the legal analysts at CNN seem to be gobsmacked, but the City Council has met and held a vote and, well… the check is in the mail.
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As I noted above, even the legal beagles on CNN this morning (who have been more than a little sympathetic to the rioters in the past) were left scratching their heads and describing Rawlings-Blake as being detached from reality. The entire idea of providing this sort of payment to the Gray family is based on the assumption that there was a “wrongful death” and that they should therefore be compensated for it. Until the trials are concluded and there is a finding of innocence or guilt, we have no idea if the death in question was “wrongful” or not. Further, they have just completely poisoned the well as far as the jury pool for the officers (not that it was looking that promising in terms of being unbiased to begin with) because everyone who hears of the settlement – which would be everyone in the city – is going to take that as an admission of guilt. Why would you provide the payout if you did nothing wrong?
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I don’t know if those six officers are guilty of any of the charges. But that’s the point… nobody knows yet, and we won’t know until they’ve had their day in court. But if they are found guilty they should be primed for an appeal, hopefully to be heard elsewhere, because City Hall has been setting them up for failure since day one.

This is Jury Tampering, plain and simple. There is not way these officers get a fair trial. The Jury Pool and been poisoned even more. It will only strengthen their appeal, if convicted.