Murder Trial for Police Officer Charged in Freddie Gray Case Delayed

The murder trial scheduled for a police officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray has been delayed, a Maryland appeals court announced on Monday.

The Court of Special Appeals in Annapolis stated that it has to determine whether or not key witness, William Porter should be allowed to testify in the trial involving Baltimore police officer Caesar Goodson Jr. The prosecution reportedly wanted Porter as a witness against Goodson. The court will also determine whether or not Porter can testify in the trial for another police officer.

Porter and Goodson are two of the six officers charged in the Gray case.

Porter's trial in December had resulted in a mistrial. He was charged with involuntary manslaughter, misconduct in office, reckless endangerment and second-degree assault, according to CNN. Porter's retrial has been scheduled for June 13.

The jury selection for Goodson's trial, which would have been the second one so far, was supposed to start on Monday. The 46-year-old officer faces a second-degree depraved heart murder charge, which is the most serious one out of all of the other officers' charges. The charge accuses the person of acting with disregard for another human being's life. If convicted, Goodson can be sentenced to up to 30 years in jail.

Gray, who was black, died of a broken neck last April one week after he was being transported in a police van. He was arrested for fleeing the police. Goodson, who was the driver of the van, was with Gray throughout the entire 45-minute ride that ended at the Western District police station. Upon arrival at the station, Gray was critically hurt and unresponsive. The exact details of what had occurred during the transport are unknown.

The case has received widespread attention as the city and the nation deal with tensions between the police and black men.

The prosecutors have argued that the officers should be held responsible for not buckling Gray into the back seat and failing to assist him when he was asking for medical attention.

A spokeswoman for the court system revealed that there is currently no time frame in determining whether or not Porter can testify.