Marilyn Mosby Faces Lawsuit Threats For ‘Incompetent’ Charges In Freddie Gray Death

After Baltimore City State Attorney Marilyn Mosby spoke in a press conference last Friday, it seemed like another riot was going to break out. Instead, this unrest is particularly targeted against the said attorney whom critics are currently branding as “incompetent.”

In less than 24 hours after the police completed their investigation of Freddie Gray’s death, Mosby declared her charges against the six officers involved in the 25-year-old’s death. She charged one officer with second-degree depraved-heart murder and the others with manslaughter, assault, misconduct and false imprisonment.

While many were pleased with Mosby’s seemingly bold move, many critics aren’t. They think that her overblown charges are “sloppy” and will do more damage to Gray’s case than good. Likewise, the charges that Mosby raised put her in a compromising position as well. Critics point out that she is facing a potential civil lawsuit for illegal arrest.

Page Croyder, a former member of the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office, spoke out against Mosby’s careless move. He initially shared his thoughts on his personal blog but it gained more exposure after it was republished by the Baltimore Sun.

In his article, Croyder expressed his opinion on Mosby’s actions.

“If no convictions occur, many will blame the system as unfair or unjust, when it may have been Mosby’s own lack of competence and/or ambition in bringing charges so quickly.”

“She says the knife that Freddie Gray was carrying was legal. But according to the Baltimore Sun, the police task force examined it and said the officers were indeed correct, the knife was spring-assisted and therefore prohibited. If so, it was Mosby who made the “illegal” arrest, and could be charged under her own theory of “false imprisonment.”

In the same article, Croyder also called out to Baltimore police officers and citizens. He advised the officers to take on a different career path and the citizens to transfer residency as their safety is in danger because of the state attorney’s recklessness.

University of Baltimore School of Law Associate Professor David Jaros also shared a statement similar to Croyder’s. In an interview with The Atlantic, he related, “The truth is that I think we would live in a better world if prosecutors only pursued charges that were really warranted by the facts…”

However, Jaros said that it is still too early to pass a judgment on Mosby’s work. He told The Atlantic that what she will pursue in court during the actual trial might be different from what she is trying to indict.

[Image by Andrew Burton, Getty Images]