Defense in Freddie Gray case seeks to move trial from Baltimore

[May 29, 2015]  (Reuters) - Defense attorneys for six police officers facing criminal charges in the Freddie Gray case are seeking to have the trial moved from Baltimore, saying their clients cannot get a fair trial there, the Baltimore Sun reported on Thursday.

The lawyers filed an 85-page document on Wednesday in Baltimore Circuit Court asking for a change of venue, arguing that a "presumption of prejudice" exists in the city, the newspaper said.

Gray, a 25-year-old black man, was arrested April 12 and suffered a spinal injury in police custody. His death a week later led to protests and rioting in Baltimore that prompted a curfew and a National Guard deployment.

Defense attorneys contend that not enough time has passed to permit "the type of healing and reconciliation in the community that would be needed to dampen the effects of the events surrounding the case," the newspaper said, quoting from the document.

The six officers face charges that include second-degree murder, assault and misconduct in office.

A spokeswoman for State's Attorney's Marilyn Mosby did not respond to a request for comment on the filing.

Footage published online by the Baltimore Sun newspaper on Thursday showed that three of the charged officers were escorted without handcuffs into the jail when they surrendered earlier this month. Officer Caesar Goodson Jr., who was charged with second-degree murder, was greeted with a hug.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Additional reporting by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Will Dunham and Paul Tait)

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