Dr. Matthew Ammerman, a Washington neurosurgeon, showed the jury enlarged pictures of an MRI taken while Gray was in Shock Trauma. He said Gray suffered a "catastrophic and complete" spinal cord injury and said he concluded Gray suffered paralysis and death "in milliseconds." He said it was also impossible for Gray to have suffered that injury before the van's fourth stop, when Porter helped Gray up.
"Even the best medical treatment," Ammerman said, could not have saved Gray's life. Furthermore, he said, it was impossible for Gray to have suffered a seizure--a suggested cause for the banging Donta Allen claimed to have heard in a recanted statement--as a seizure would have required bleeding on the brain, which was not present.
In cross examination, however, Ammerman conceded that in general, medical treatment helps and could have perhaps helped Gray.
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10 comments:
Prosecutors allege he "criminally neglected his duty" by failing to secure Gray with a seat belt in a police transport van"
This is exactly the sort of misstatement of the law and 'confusion of the issues' the defense argued would happen in their motion in limine to exclude the departmental policies from evidence.
The prosecution is deliberately trying to conflate a violation of workplace policy with a violation of the law... and if there actually were a legal requirement that prisoners be restrained during transport, the prosecution wouldn't have to resort to this type of chicanery.
I keep praying for this officer and the others every day.
And to the people protesting-keep on protesting and God will continue to punish you! He had 4 more of you shot by one of your own yesterday. This isn't an accident. Every bullet is being sent by God Himself to punish people who are immoral and have turned their backs to Him. The more they protest these fine officers the more God will see to it, that they keep on killing each other. God is angry with them.
so far this morn 3 character witnesses for Porter testifying
pd training witness now on stand
Porter's mother just testified briefly said her son "is the peacemaker in what ever situation goes down"
defense rests 2nd passenger not called testimony would be "crapshoot" said veteran defense attorneys observing
jury sent home
defense expected to argue over whether case should be dismissed
That creep was trouble all his life, his Juvie record is longer than the lies Obama tells.
9:56 .You need to check into a mental hospital
Based on numerous media accounts, the evidence augers for complete acquittal.
Some of what shapes a jury’s verdict is the strength of the close by respective counsel.
The defense certainly has plenty of solid, evidence-based building blocks for a heck of a closing. Definitely in the winners seat. Absent the looming cloud of a riot/arson/looting, it's the defense’ case to lose at this point.
The prosecution will have mostly just histrionics, and of course the threat of riot/arson/looting.
If the defense closes strong, I think that’s how the jury will fall.
If they don’t I think there’s an excellent chance any conviction will be overturned on appeal, if for no other reason than “against the great weight of the evidence”.
Both the state and the defense agree on the general contours of the case: the department policy was to seatbelt detainees, the reality is that in a very high percentage of detainees weren't seatbelted. If detainees were in fact belted in frequently, the state would have had a witness testify to that. The fact they didn't is a clear indication they're tacitly acknowledging that the BPD allowed officers to use their discretion when determining whether or not to seatbelt.
The state has very clearly not met their burden of proof, which is to show Officer Porter's actions grossly deviated from those of a reasonable officer. If what he did is something officers do every day as a matter of routine (which the evidence clearly shows to be the case), it cannot possibly be criminally negligent. It would be a severe miscarriage of justice to hold Officer Porter or any of the other officers criminally responsible for the death of Freddie Gray.
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