Information leaked from the jury trial of Baltimore police office William Porter indicates that the jury was one vote away from acquitting him of the involuntary manslaughter before the hung jury led to a mistrial. Porter is the first of six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, and the involuntary manslaughter charge was the most severe of his charges. The leak indicates that jurors felt that police did commit crimes or violations but were not directly culpable in Gray’s death. The Baltimore Sun reports:
The jurors had to vote unanimously to be able to convict or acquit Porter of any of the four charges he faced, and their inability to reach a verdict weighed heavily on their minds, the juror said.
While deliberations turned tensed at times, the juror said the panel members were "heartfelt in their duty."
"I was very touched by the passion that many jurors brought to their arguments," the juror said.
In addition to the final 11-1 split in favor of acquittal on involuntary manslaughter, sources said the jury split the following ways:
•They voted 8-2 in favor of acquittal on second-degree assault, with two jurors remaining undecided.
•On reckless endangerment, the jury split 7-3 in favor of conviction, with two jurors undecided.
•On misconduct in office, the jury split 10-1 in favor of conviction, with one juror undecided, sources said.
This information is vital for the increasingly complex legal drama surrounding Freddie Gray’s death last year. After the mistrial, Porter will be tried again in June. However, he is a key witness in the trial of fellow officer Caesar Goodson, but has filed an appeal to avoid being compelled to testify. That appeal will be considered in March, and Goodson’s trial may be postponed accordingly. The remaining four officers were scheduled to have trials after Goodson’s, and potentially postponing that trial could push them into conflict with Porter’s retrial.