Officer in Freddie Gray case ordered to testify against his fellow officers

Prosecutors argued William Porter's limited immunity compels him to testify.

By Ed Adamczyk
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Baltimore Police Officer William Porter, right, at the Baltimore courthouse on December 16. Porter was compelled Tuesday by Maryland's Court of Appeals to testify against his five co-defendents in their trials regarding the death of Freddie Gray. Porter's trial ended in a hung jury, forcing a June retrial. Pool Photo by Algerina Perna/UPI
Baltimore Police Officer William Porter, right, at the Baltimore courthouse on December 16. Porter was compelled Tuesday by Maryland's Court of Appeals to testify against his five co-defendents in their trials regarding the death of Freddie Gray. Porter's trial ended in a hung jury, forcing a June retrial. Pool Photo by Algerina Perna/UPI | License Photo

ANNAPOLIS, Md., March 8 (UPI) -- Baltimore police Officer William Porter, to be retried in the death of Freddie Gray, must testify against his five co-defendants, Maryland's highest court ruled Tuesday.

The Maryland Court of Appeals heard oral arguments last week on whether Porter, the first person to be tried in Gray's death and whose trial ended in a hung jury, could be compelled to testify against the five other officers in the case. The court rejected Porter's request to not testify against Officer Caesar Goodson and Sgt. Alicia White, and reversed a lower order denying prosecutors' requests to call Porter to testify against Officer Edward Nero, Officer Garrett Miller and Lt. Brian Rice.

Prosecutors successfully argued that since Porter was offered limited immunity, they could compel him to testify.

The six officers are charged with crimes stemming from the April 2015 death of Gray, who sustained a neck injury while being transported, unrestrained except for handcuffs and leg shackles, in a police van. He died a week later. The incident, ruled a homicide, provoked several weeks of protests, including some rioting, in Baltimore and discussion nationwide of the relationship in America between minorities and the police.

Porter was charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office. He will be retried in June.

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