Law professor files ethics complaints against Baltimore prosecutors in Freddie Gray cases
A public-interest law professor is filing complaints seeking the disbarment of two prosecutors with the Baltimore City State’s Attorney Office for actions in the prosecution of police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Professor John F. Banzhaf III of the George Washington University Law School said the complaints with the Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission are against Chief Deputy State’s Attorney Michael Schatzow and Deputy State’s Attorney Janice Bledsoe. He alleges they failed to present enough evidence to support even bringing the prosecution. Last month, Banzhaf filed a similar complaint against their boss, State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby, the Sun reported at the time.
Six police officers were indicted on charges related to Gray’s death, and three of them have faced separate bench trials with Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams, and have been acquitted. The 25-year-old Gray suffered a spinal injury in a ride in a police van after his arrest in April 2015 and died a week later. The complaints against Mosby’s deputy prosecutors are based in part on rulings by Judge Williams. For example, in June, in the case of Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., the judge said “the court finds there is insufficient evidence that the defendant gave or intended to give Mr. Gray a rough ride.”
The trial of a fourth officer ended in a mistrial in December and is set for retrial in September. The two other officers are set for trial later this month and in October.
Banzhaf argues that the prosecutors knew their cases were not supported by probable cause and went to trial anyway. The State’s Attorney office said it cannot comment on the complaints because Judge Williams imposed a gag order in the matters.
