BALTIMORE (AP) - The trial for an officer facing charges stemming from the arrest and death of Freddie Gray after being injured in a police van continues with defense witness testimony.
Officer Edward Nero faces assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges. His trial began Thursday. Prosecutors finished presenting testimony Monday, and the defense called its first witness, former Baltimore commander and recently retired Charlottesville police chief Timothy Longo.
Prosecutors say Nero and two other officers illegally arrested Gray on April 12 of last year and were negligent when they failed to buckle him into a seat belt. Gray suffered a critical spinal injury in the back of the police van and died a week later. Nero's defense says the officer wasn't involved in Gray's arrest and that it is the wagon driver's responsibility to buckle in prisoners.
Van Driver
The Baltimore police wagon driver facing the most serious charge in Gray’s death has asked a court to dismiss his case, and says his right to a speedy trial has been violated.
Officer Caesar Goodson is scheduled to stand trial next month on charges including second-degree murder. He filed a number of motions that became public Monday.
Goodson says his right to a speedy trial was violated when the state asked for a delay days before his original January trial date. Goodson has also asked the court to exclude the opinion section of Gray's autopsy report from evidence, and bar another officer from testifying against him.
