On Friday, Judge Barry Williams announced that Baltimore prosecutors in the Freddie Gray case had failed to hand over evidence to defense attorneys that would have helped exonerate their client. Gray, 25, died while in custody in the back of a police van; the driver, Oscar Goodman, is on trial for the inflated charge of depraved-heart murder.
So, what did the prosecution withhold?
According to ABC News:
Goodson’s attorneys have argued that prosecutors withheld statements made last year by Donta Allen, a key witness. Allen was picked up by the Baltimore police van after Gray.
In his original statement to police in April last year, Allen said he heard banging coming from Gray’s side of the vehicle. He gave a similar statement in a separate interview with prosecutors a month later, but the state never turned it over as evidence to defense attorneys.
Why does this make a difference? Because, as David French points out, “It turns out that Allen had given a second, extended interview to the prosecution where he reaffirmed his initial story, and that initial story is devastating to the prosecution’s case.” Allen testified that Goodman had provided a “smooth ride,” that Gray was banging his own head against the barrier, and that Gray was still upright and moving for most of the ride. This would essentially exonerate Goodman.
Before the left cries racism, here’s a sad fact for their case: Goodman is black, and so is Williams.
So, why did the prosecution attempt to hide evidence? Because the Baltimore prosecutions have been a farce since the moment prosecutor Marilyn Mosby vowed “justice” on behalf of the “youth of this city” – the youth that had just rioted and burned down stores. Here’s a bit of background on Mosby:
Mosby was elected in January 2015 as the youngest district attorney in America; she reportedly has aspirations to higher office. Before her election, she publicly questioned the jury verdict in the George Zimmerman case and cast racial aspersions on the prosecutor who refused to file charges against Officer Darren Wilson (even Eric Holder’s Department of Justice found Wilson’s actions against Michael Brown justifiable). Furthermore, Mosby’s husband, Nick Mosby, has excused rioting while serving as a Baltimore city councilman. Mosby’s prosecution of the case amounts to a serious conflict of interest.
But the left needs no evidence to convict cops of racism. The Eric Holder Justice Department has routinely crammed down consent decrees on police departments without any evidence of racism. For example, in Seattle, Holder’s DOJ insisted that the police department suffered from “unconscious bias.” The only evidence: “many in the community perceive that pedestrian stops are overused and targeted minorities.” In other words, the DOJ found minority people who felt bad about the police, then used those feelings to crack down on normal police practice.
Baltimore prosecutors are apparently mirroring the same behavior here: they’re suggesting that the officers in this case must have been racist, even if there’s no evidence – and if there’s any counterevidence, they’re tossing it in the wastebin.
In the end, there will be more riots in Baltimore, even as the left proclaims the prosecutors in the Freddie Gray case heroes of the law. When legal bigwigs decide it’s more important to nail a defendant over race than to play by the rules, nobody is safe.