Baltimore Officer Who Drove Van Acquitted On All Charges In Freddie Gray Case
More disheartening news out of Baltimore…
Caesar Goodson, the Baltimore officer who gave Freddie Gray a “rough ride” in his police van resulting in him being fatally injured was acquitted of all charges by Circuit Judge Barry Williams on Thursday (June 23).
Via The Baltimore Sun:
Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., 46, had faced the most serious charges of any of the six officers indicted in Gray’s arrest and death last April, including second-degree depraved heart murder. Goodson was also acquitted of three counts of manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office.
His acquittal, which comes after Williams considered the charges for three days, throws the rest of the cases into jeopardy. The other officers charged face similar, but lesser accusations.
Williams said the timeline of Gray’s injuries remains unclear, and the state “failed to meet its burden” to present enough evidence to back its assertions.
“As the trier of fact, the court can’t simply let things speak for themselves,” Williams said.
Your thoughts?