Prosecutors see Officer Porter as both a liar and a potential witness
Prosecutors want Porter to testify in trials of fellow officers, but told jurors, "He has lied to you."
By Kevin Rector | The Baltimore Sun | December 18, 2015Prosecutors might have created a problem for themselves this week when they said Officer William G. Porter had lied on the witness stand.
Porter, whose trial ended Wednesday in a mistrial, is one of six police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray. Prosecutors chose to try him first because they want to call him to testify in the subsequent trials of two of his fellow officers.
But during closing statements this week in Porter's trial, they asked jurors to ask themselves whether he could be trusted on the witness stand.
"He has lied to you," said Chief Deputy State's Attorney Michael Schatzow.
Steven H. Levin, a former federal prosecutor, says that's a problem.
"For a prosecutor to call a witness who the prosecutor has publicly identified as a liar undermines the integrity of the criminal justice system," said Levin, now a defense attorney in Baltimore who has represented police officers in high-profile cases. "The optics are terrible, to say they want to use somebody that they've branded a liar in later trials to convict others."
Further complicating matters: After the mistrial, it's unclear now whether Porter's case will be resolved before the next trial begins. Jury selection in the trial of Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr., who faces the most serious charges in Gray's death, is scheduled to begin Jan. 6.
Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry G. Williams met behind closed doors Thursday with prosecutors and attorneys to discuss a new trial date for Porter. They reached no agreement, and planned to meet again.
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