It was reported yesterday that the prosecutors of the Freddie Gray murder case want William Porter to testify against four other officers. Today, the judge said he will not allow them to force Porter to do it.
AP reported yesterday that Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams will hear a motion from the prosecutors of Freddie Gray case. The prosecutors want William Porter to give a testimony after his own trial ended as a mistrial. His trial ended early December last year and will be tried in court again in June as his charges are still waiting.
According to The Baltimore Sun, Judge Williams did not allow the prosecutors to let Porter testify because he thinks the prosecutors are cooking something up. They want Officer William G. Porter to testify against fellow Officers Edward M. Nero, Garrett E. Miller and Lt. Brian W. Rice. Judge Williams only tasked Porter to testify in the trials of Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr. and Sgt. Alicia D. White. But Porter appealed to block the orders and that case is still in the Court of Special Appeals.
Porter's attorney, Joseph Murtha said the prosecutors' move was "disingenuous pretext for the purpose of getting a postponement". He knows that the prosecutors want to postpone the other three's trial so they are asking the judge to force Porter to take the stand. It is what also the judge thinks as he said in the ruling and that they wanted Porter to take a stand five times so they know how to battle Porter.
The prosecutors said this outcome was a blow to their strategy. They did not expect this to happen but they are ready for whatever will come to their way. CBC Baltimore noted that one of the lawyers said "the defense won the procedural skirmish, but the trials are going to continue" meaning they still have other trials to win.
Freddie Gray died from a spinal cord injury after a week in the hospital. He was arrested after he ran from the Police on April 12 last year. Six officers were charge in May and convicted by a jury a month later. All pleaded not guilty and the trials will start in February, then one after another.
