The trial of Baltimore Police Officer Caesar Goodson for his alleged role in the death of Freddie Gray was scheduled to begin jury selection today, but has been postponed pending the resolution of an appeal involving another officer and witness.
The Baltimore Sun reports that the Maryland Court of Special Appeals issued a last-minute order to postpone the trial so that the appeal of officer William Porter could be resolved.
Porter was the first officer tried for the death of Freddie Gray in the first of six consecutive trials. His trial was considered a mistrial after a hung jury, and his retrial is scheduled for June. Porter was also scheduled to be a key witness in Goodson’s trial. However, without a guilty plea or verdict, Porter could have refused to testify under Fifth Amendment protections. However, Judge Barry G. Williams issued an order compelling him to testify, with the immunity protection that all of his testimony would not be usable in his own trial. Porter’s lawyers filed an appeal to block the move, which is now being considered by the Court of Special Appeals.
The move to compel a defendant to testify against a co-defendant has been defended as legal by the prosecutors while being attacked as unprecedented by Porter’s lawyers. His testimony is considered crucial in the trial of Goodson, who is facing charges including second-degree depraved heart murder. A total of six officers are charged in the death of Freddie Gray, who died from spinal injuries sustained while in police custody last year.