Mosby balancing court deadlines in Freddie Gray case along fashion magazine interviews
The trial for six Baltimore police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray took some steps forward Friday. Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby met some court deadlines while also making headlines in women's fashion magazines.
Mosby, who is prosecuting this case, met a court deadline late Friday by filing a motion in response to the police officers' lawyers to move the trial out of Baltimore City Circuit Court. The police officers say they cannot get a fair trial in the city because of pretrial publicity that has changed public opinion against them.
In the response, Mosby said that, "Fundamentally, the defendants misperceive the very definition of ‘impartiality' and would have this court insist on jurors totally ignorant of the events in their community, a standard not only deemed impossible but contrary to human nature."
Also on Friday, Mosby filed a motion for a joint trial for four of the six officers. She wrote that the evidence is the same for all of them and that "...these cases have attracted considerable press attention, jury selection and other logistical issues will undoubtedly be more prolonged and involved than usual..." and a joint trial will move things along better.
Recently, I spoke with Mosby, but only after I caught up with her as she left a press conference where she refused to take questions from the podium. However, she has found the time to do interviews with women's fashion magazines.
The July edition of Vogue magazine is not on the stands yet, but she poses for famed photographer Annie Liebovitz. In the lengthy article, she defends herself against accusations that she charged the police officers for Gray's death to appease protesters.
She told Vogue that "The unrest had nothing to do with my decision to charge. I just followed where the facts led. This is not something that was fast, or in a hurry."
In Cosmopolitan magazine, she said that, "You can't let naysayers define your purpose because otherwise you'll be nowhere in life. I've never had much patience for those kinds of people, even the ones who are coming out of the woodwork now."
And in a flattering profile in Marie Claire , Mosby said that, "What we've seen all across the country, not just in Baltimore, is a disconnect between law enforcement and our communities. You can't ignore the fact that so many people have been affected by the disconnect and that people are expressing that frustration. I think it's incumbent on me to break down those barriers."
There are more documents coming from Mosby's office and she has to turn over evidence to the defense in the case. However, step by step, this case is moving closer to trial.