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The police investigation was still hot when Marilyn Mosby gave her press conference on Friday announcing charges against six Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray. In fact, the investigation was ongoing and her announcement stunned the task force still working to answer questions in the investigation. The task force involved 30 members drawn from different specialties across the police department. One such task that this investigation employed was a $250,000 dollar mapping technology – similar to Google’s video car, except these officers worked on foot – to retrace the entire route the police wagon carrying Gray had taken on its journey toward the station. More than 70 scans of the area were taken and were still being pieced together at the time of the Mosby’s announcement.
Mosby has received significant criticism since the release of her probable cause statement, which has led to much speculation on her motives in announcing such serious charges so soon, without an abundance of evidence that would support the charges. She does have personal relationships with the city council – her husband is councilman Nick Mosby talking here about this being “her time” and the lawyers for Freddie Gray – Billy Murphy donated $5,000 to her campaign, but more significantly was on her transition team after she won election and has been described as a mentor to her.
An extremely high profile case has fallen into her lap and while she has been prosecuting crimes for five years, she is still the youngest chief prosecutor in a major city. She’s got to be feeling the pressure to do something, and do something big.
Prominent Baltimore criminal defense lawyer Ivan Bates told The News, “Today I definitely say: This is her opportunity to bathe in the glory. She did what she feels was the correct decision in this moment, and I’m cautiously optimistic it was correct. She faced an enormous amount of pressure that few of us have ever seen.”
She may believe in the case, or she may believe this case can take her where she wants to go. But there is a saying in the legal profession: Bad facts make for bad law. In this case, Marilyn Mosby would have served the law and herself a lot better if she had waited for some better facts.
She’s laying the path to her next political office…simple fact. She jumped the gun because she and her husband are Baltimore’s “power couple”. She’s also a Democrat and black…..she’s playing the game.
Madame Mayor will also be forgiven her stupidity, after all, she’s the secretary in the national branch of the DNC, maybe she’ll get Debbie Wasserman-Schultz’s spot as her next step up the Party ladder.
Both of these women are Democratic Party players, they’re protected. And, nobody in the Party gives a flying fig if her charges stick or not, or if Baltimore burns again or not. Just as long as the Party prevails!
Jenny North says: Thanks for your comment. The criticism she’s receiving is coming from all sides. The liberal Harvard law prof. Alan Dershowitz has been the most outspoken on her overreach. I think it was very short sighted and this could cause a worse outcome down the road for Baltimore.
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