Baltimore Prosecutors Request Protective Order Blocking Release of Evidence in Freddie Gray Case

Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby has asked for a protective order that would bar attorneys for six police officers charged in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray from publicly sharing Gray's autopsy and other evidence in the case.

Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby has asked for a protective order that would bar attorneys for six police officers charged in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray from publicly sharing Gray's autopsy and other evidence in the case.

In a motion filed in Baltimore Circuit Court on Tuesday, Mosby's office argued such an order is necessary because defense attorneys "have demonstrated a likelihood of publicizing discovery materials in a manner that may jeopardize the ability to conduct a fair and impartial trial."

Mosby's office asked for an expedited hearing to present its arguments for the order, as discovery is due in the case on June 26, reports the Baltimore Sun.

"The Court must not allow the discovery in this case to further fuel a defense public-relations firestorm," the prosecutors wrote. "The evidence must be made public, but its release to the public must be made in a court of law, not in defense efforts to court public favor."

Evidence is not regularly filed in court records that are accessible to the public and members of the press, but without a protective order there is nothing that prevents attorneys from releasing information, the state said.

Prosecutors had previously requested a gag order in the case, which would have prevented those involved in the case from speaking about it publicly, but it would not have blocked review of documents filed in the case. That request was rejected by a judge on procedural grounds.

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