The trials of the six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray have all been postponed, the first on the defense’s request and the rest on the prosecution’s.
Officer William Porter is now scheduled for trial on Nov. 30.
Prosecutors want Porter tried first so they can call him as a witness against the others. Porter reportedly helped Gray up and told other cops that Gray had asked to be taken to a hospital, although he also speculated that Gray might be faking his injuries. His legal team said they had just received crucial documents from the prosecutors and need more time to craft their defense.
After Porter, Caesar Goodson, who drove the wagon in which Gray allegedly sustained his injuries, is scheduled for trial on Jan. 6, 2016. Then Alicia White, Jan. 25; Garrett Miller, Feb. 9; Edward Nero, Feb. 22; and Brian Rice, March 9.
As is the routine, 15 or 20 reporters crowded the left section of seats in Judge Barry Williams’ courtroom, admitted with numbered raffle-style tickets which had to be returned to a bowl when they left. “Did you win anything?” one of Porter’s lawyers, Gary Proctor, asked as the lawyers streamed out of the courtroom. Asked if he thought he did, Proctor answered with another question: “Is it better to go first?”
