BALTIMORE, Dec. 16 (UPI) — Jurors in the trial of Baltimore police Officer William Porter were ordered back to deliberations Wednesday after they announced a deadlock.
Jurors told Judge Barry G. Williams they were having difficulty coming to a unanimous decision after deliberating for about nine hours on Tuesday.
“You must decide the case for yourself,” Williams said after rereading the jury instructions.
Porter is the first of six police officers to go to trial in the death of Freddie Gray, who died as a result of a broken neck while in police custody. Investigators said Gray, whose hands and legs were shackled, possibly fell in the back of a moving police van and hit his head, breaking his neck. Prosecutors argue Porter could have helped Gray by buckling him into a seat in the police van and getting him medical attention.
The jury must reach a verdict on four charges involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office. A conviction on just one of the charges would stand regardless of a mistrial on other charges. It would then be up to the prosecutor to decide to pursue the other charges again.
On Tuesday, the defense requested a mistrial in the case and a change of venue after city schools sent a letter to parents warning them of a possible violent backlash from the verdict. The judge denied the motion, saying jurors have been repeatedly advised to only take evidence into account in their decision.
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