A mural depicting Freddie Gray and the uprisings following the death of Freddie Gray in the custody of Baltimore police. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)
New trial dates were selected for six officers charged in the Freddie Gray case Tuesday, with the earliest planned roughly a month after the one-year anniversary of Gray’s arrest.
The trial dates, which will be officially set at a hearing Wednesday in Baltimore span from May to October, according to officials with the Maryland Judiciary.
The trial schedule is expected as follows:
May 10, 2016: Officer Edward M. Nero
June 6, 2016: Officer Caesar Goodson, Jr.
July 5, 2016: Lt. Brian W. Rice
July 27, 2016: Officer Garrett E. Miller.
September 6, 2016: Officer William G. Porter
October 13: Sgt. Alicia D. White.
[Who was Freddie Gray, how did he die and how did the first trial end in a hung jury?]
The highly anticipated trial dates have been postponed several times as lawyers have argued over whether Porter can be forced to testify against his colleagues as he awaits retrial. Porter’s first trial ended with a hung jury in December.
The Maryland Court of Appeals determined this month Porter can be compelled to take the witness stand against his co-defendants, but has yet to issue its full opinion in the case.
Legal experts say depending the court’s opinion, Porter’s attorneys may have the chance to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, a move that could again delay the trials.
Gray died one week after suffering an severe neck injury during his April arrest and transport. His case inflamed national debate over the deaths of young black men in police custody, sparking protests and riots.
Goodson, the van driver, faces the most serious charge of second-degree depraved-heart murder.