How The Jury In Porter’s Trial Voted

Jan 15

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William G. Porter was the first of the Baltimore 6 to be tried in the death of Freddie Gray.  Judge Barry G. Williams declared a mistrial because the jury hung on all four charges.

The Baltimore Sun reports that legal experts say the information on how the jury voted is critical to understanding the process now playing out as prosecutors and Porter’s defense attorneys prepare for his scheduled retrial in June. The information also could help shape legal strategies in the pending cases against the other five police officers charged in Gray’s April arrest and death.

A gag order prevents prosecutors and  defense attorneys from discussing the case,but  one juror agreed to be interviewed.  That one juror said that some were driven to tears during deliberations.

The anonymous juror said that the jury changed their votes multiple times during deliberations.  For instance, a few more jurors wanted to convict Porter of manslaughter at the start of deliberations but changed their minds.

Officer Porter

William Porter

The jury consisted of 4 black women, 3 black men, 3 white women, and 2 white men.  The only juror identified is Susan Elgin, an attorney.

The six police officers charged in Gray’s arrest and death have all pleaded not guilty. Four have been suspended without pay; the other two who only face misdemeanors are suspended with pay.

 


Posted on 01/15/2016, in Cases, Cops Gone Wild, Freddy Gray, Trial Videos and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 10 Comments.

  1. yahtzeebutterfly | 01/16/2016 at 5:39 am

    Freddie did not receive the medical help he needed. The Porter jury must have understood this. I wonder upon whom the individual jury members placed the blame for not procuring the needed medical attention for Freddie. We will probably never know the jury’s thoughts on this.

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  2. roach59 | 01/16/2016 at 6:30 pm

    Perhaps the next jury will get it right. This one was obviously off their meds……..
    The saga continues.

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    • Xena | 01/16/2016 at 7:23 pm

      Hey Roach!
      Right. Perhaps prosecutors have also learned. It wouldn’t surprise me if they dismissed the manslaughter charge and proceeded on those where the jury was leaning towards conviction.

      Liked by 1 person

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      • roach59 | 01/16/2016 at 10:56 pm

        Exactly. Trust me, notes were taken by the DA’s office and they know the exact angle to pursue to try to get the conviction the 2nd time around. All of the cards have now been placed on the table and just hopefully…. Freddie Gray will be able to REST IN PEACE!!!

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  3. mindyme62 | 01/17/2016 at 5:33 pm

    Omg, they were so close “Eleven voted in favor of conviction on the charge of misconduct in office. One juror was undecided.”

    After the officer was acquitted in the Alabama case where the Indian visitor was slammed to the ground, nothing surprises me anymore

    https://www.rt.com/usa/329006-alabama-police-indian-national/

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    • Xena | 01/17/2016 at 6:33 pm

      Hey Mindyme!
      Absolutely!
      Thanks for the link to the article about the Alabama officer. The struggle continues.

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    • yahtzeebutterfly | 01/17/2016 at 8:44 pm

      Thanks for providing us with the update, Mindy.

      I am so sorry for the terrible injury that Mr. Patel received…he had done nothing wrong.
      I ache for him and pray that he will recover.

      So, Judge Haikala acquitted the officer after two trials ended with deadlocked juries.

      Haikala ruled Wednesday that after “two full and fair chances to obtain a conviction,” government prosecutors “will not have another.”

      “The result in this case is by no means satisfying,” Judge Haikala wrote in her 92-page opinion. “Hindsight brings clarity to a calamity. Mr. Patel’s celebrated arrival in this country to begin a new life with his son was interrupted in two tragic minutes. If Mr. Parker or Mr. Patel could take that time back, both would surely do things differently and avoid the events that have forever changed both of their lives.

      “However, that injury, standing alone, does not provide the basis for a criminal judgment against Mr. Parker under 18 U.S.C. § 242,” Haikala continued. “The law presumes Mr. Parker’s innocence, and the evidence in the record from two trials does not eliminate reasonable doubt as to Mr. Parker’s guilt.”

      The prosecutor, U.S. attorney Joyce Vance responded to the judge’s ruling by saying

      the evidence was sufficient for a retrial.

      “Where you were born shouldn’t change how you are treated by the police,” Vance said, according to WHNT. “Everyone in this country must be able to trust law enforcement. We remain committed to prosecuting those few officers who cross the line and use unreasonable force.”

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  4. yahtzeebutterfly | 01/17/2016 at 8:56 pm

    Off topic:

    Here is an update on Michael Slager’s case:

    “Attorney seeks to block public disclosure of Michael Slager bail supporters”
    http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20160115/PC16/160119502

    Excerpt:

    An attorney for Michael Slager asked a judge Friday to block the public from viewing the names of people who supported the former North Charleston police officer’s bid for bail.

    The motion by lawyer Cameron Blazer seeks to seal the names of the people who wrote character letters about Slager when he first requested bail in September. The measure was filed in response to a S.C. Freedom of Information Act request by The Post and Courier for copies of the documents that the defense team sent directly to the judge presiding over Slager’s prosecution.

    The documents could further gauge Slager’s support among current officers at the North Charleston Police Department and other area public officials.

    Here is the document of the request:

    Click to access pdf-filed-motion-to-seal-re-slager.pdf

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  5. Xena | 01/17/2016 at 11:13 pm

    “Who Killed Freddie Gray?” will feature behind-the-scenes video from the police investigation and interviews with U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Baltimore), Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis and Gray’s friends, as well as Sun reporters Mark Puente and Justin George.

    It airs at 9 p.m. Tuesday.
    http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/tv/z-on-tv-blog/bal-cnn-baltimore-sun-report-freddie-gray-20160115-story.html

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