Closing Arguments Wrap In Rice Trial; Verdict To Be Announced Monday

Closing arguments are complete, and Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams says he will hand down a verdict on Monday morning in the manslaughter trial of Baltimore City Police Lt. Brian Rice.

Rice, 42, is the highest ranking officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray. He is charged with manslaughter, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.

Today's court proceedings lasted more than two hours.

Assistant State’s Attorney Janice Bledsoe in her closing arguments said Lt. Brian Rice "initiated a chain of events that led to the death of Freddie Gray," by chasing Gray in West Baltimore on the morning of April 12, 2015.

A good portion of her closing argument focused not on Rice’s conduct towards Gray, but his conduct towards Brandon Ross, Freddie Gray’s friend who complained to Ross about Gray’s treatment by police, and who took video of Gray being loaded back into the van by Lt. Rice.

Bledsoe played enhanced audio from part of Ross’s video that had NOT been played in court before.

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