2 Officers in Gray Case to Get New Trial Dates

BALTIMORE, MD — The trials for two officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, a Baltimore man who died in police custody, have been pushed back, court officials said Thursday.

Sgt. Alicia White is set to go to trial Feb. 8. Previously, her trial was to begin Jan. 25.

Officer Garrett Miller will stand trial on March 7. His trial had been slated to start Feb. 9.

An administrative hearing Friday in Baltimore City Circuit Court will formalize the new trial dates.

The postponements come on the heels of pretrial hearings in the case of Officer Caesar Goodson, who, among the six Baltimore Police officers accused in Gray’s death, faces the most serious charge: second-degree depraved heart murder.

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Judge Barry Williams, who is handling all the officers’ cases, ruled Wednesday that Officer William Porter, whose own case ended in a mistrial last month, must testify as a witness in the trials of Officer Goodson and Sgt. White.

To protect his Fifth Amendment right, Porter’s attorney filed an appeal Thursday, asking for an injunction, stating prosecutors said Porter may be called as a witness as early as Jan. 14. or 15.

Jury selection for Officer Goodson’s case is set for Monday, Jan. 11.

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Goodson is the only one of six officers whose trial involves a charge of murder in the Gray case.

Gray, a 25-year-old Baltimore man, was arrested, then taken on a 44-minute ride in a police van around west Baltimore after which he was hospitalized. He died a week later, on April 19, 2015, from what prosecutors alleged were spinal injuries suffered in the police van.

Goodson was the driver of the van, and he is charged with second-degree depraved-heart murder, as well as manslaughter, second-degree assault, vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent manslaughter, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.

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Hours after Gray’s funeral in late April, riots erupted in parts of Baltimore City, drawing the National Guard to help quell the unrest.

Within days, State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced charges against six officers involved in Gray’s detainment: Officer Caesar Goodson, Officer William Porter, Sgt. Alicia White, Officer Garrett Miller, Officer Edward Nero and Lt. Brian Rice.

A judge ruled previously that the officers would have separate trials in Baltimore.

When jurors said they could not reach a verdict in the case of Porter, the first to be tried, the judge declared a mistrial on Dec. 16; Porter’s new trial will start June 13.

Next up is Officer Goodson. Jury selection for Goodson’s trial is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 11.

Sgt. Alicia White’s trial will be Feb. 8, and Officer Garrett Miller’s will be March 7, pending administrative approval Friday.

Trial dates have not changed for Officer Edward Nero (Feb. 22) and Lt. Brian Rice (March 9).