Caesar Goodson: Who is the Baltimore police officer acquitted in the death of Freddie Gray?

Prosecution has yet to yield a conviction for any of the officers charged in the case

Goodson was acquitted of six charges related to the death of Freddie Gray AP

Caesar Goodson Jr, the Baltimore police officer who faced the most serious charges in the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, was found not guilty of all seven charges against him. This was the third of six trials that did not yield a conviction for prosecutors.

Officer Goodson, 46, drove the van that held Mr Gray, who officers loaded in while handcuffed and shackled at the feet, yet unbuckled to his seat. Goodson was accused of giving Mr Gray the so-called “rough ride”, causing the catastrophic spinal injury that killed him.

Yet, Circuit Judge Barry Williams did not see it that way when he rendered his verdict and acquitted Goodson of all charges, including second-degree “depraved heart” murder. Other charges included second-degree assault, misconduct in office, involuntary manslaughter, manslaughter by vehicles (criminal and gross negligence), and reckless endangerment. He faced up to 30 years in prison.

Judge Williams said prosecution lacked the evidence to back up their allegations, the Baltimore Sun reports.

“The court cannot simply let things speak for themselves,” he said.

What made this trial particularly complicated however, was that Goodson was the only of the six accused officers to not give a statement to investigators at the time of the deadly incident.

Goodson is the second officer acquitted by Mr Williams after opting for a bench trial instead of facing trial by jury. Officer Edward Nero was acquitted by Mr Williams in May. The trial of Officer William Porter, the first to stand trial for the death of Mr Gray, ending with a hung jury. He will receive a retrial in September.

Goodson, the only officer who received a murder charge, joined the Baltimore Police Department in 1999. His grandfather had also been a part of the force. He was reportedly driving the van on 12 April 2015 because he had volunteered for an overtime shift.

Neighbours told the Sun that Goodson had appeared to be a kind, family man.

“He spends a lot of time with his family and kids,” one neighbor said, declining to give their name to reporters. “He's helped me with my car a few times. I could never say anything negative about him.”

An officer who knew him said he was surprised by the severity of the charges.

“He's not confrontational,” the officer said. “He's not known as being a heavy-handed guy.”

Despite his reputation amongst his peers, prosecutors alleged that Goodson showed little restraint while transporting Mr Gray through the Sandtown neighbourhood. Video captured Goodson checking on Mr Gray during one of the van's stops, yet he did not call for medics.

“Despite stopping for the purpose of checking on Mr Gray's condition, at no point did he seek nor did he render any medical assistance for Mr. Gray,” said Baltimore state attorney Marilyn J. Mosby. He simply radioed for other officers to "check this prisoner out".

Goodson invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent during his prosecution.

Goodson dodged the “depraved heart” charge - defined by Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute as “killing someone in a way that demonstrates a callous regard for the value of human life”.

Mr Gray died on 19 April, a week after sustaining his injuries in the police van driven by Goodson. Bicycle officers arrested him after he made eye contact with one of them and “fled unprovoked”, according to the police report.

The report also says that Mr Gray was “arrested without force or incident”.

Between 8.45 and 9.24 am, Mr Gray had suffered the “medical emergency” that ultimately led to his death - ruled by coroners as a homicide.

Lt Brian Rice is the next officer to stand trial. He is charged with manslaughter.