Lt. Brian Rice, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter among other charges in the death of Freddie Gray, has opted to have his legal fate decided by the same judge who previously acquitted officers Edward Nero and Caesar Goodson of all charges.
It’s hardly surprising that Rice would forgo a jury trial. Judge Barry G. Williams judged recently cleared Goodson, the van driver alleged to have given Gray a “rough ride” which all but severed his spine, of a second-degree depraved-heart murder charges.
According to the Baltimore Sun, the charges facing Rice center mostly on his failure to belt Gray in the back of the van.
