Some members of the legal community have begun to question the connection between State Attorney Marilyn Mosby, the prosecutor who charged six officers in Freddie Gray’s death, and the Gray family attorney.
According to Daily Mail, Bill Murphy, the Gray family lawyer, donated $4,000 to Mosby’s campaign when she ran for State’s Attorney, the maximum amount an individual is allowed to donate. Murphy has also been described as a “mentor” to Mosby and was on her transition team after the election.
Friday morning, Mosby declared that Gray’s death was ruled a homicide after he received a fatal neck injury due to being shackled in the back of a police van without a seatbelt. Proceeding the announcement, arrest warrants were issued for the Baltimore Police officers who “illegally” detained Gray.
Veteran Baltimore Defense Attorney Warren Brown expressed concern over Murphy’s relationship with Mosby.
“I hope her decision is not impacted by his counsel. He has his own prosecution, a civil one, but if she indicts then there is a criminal case. He has financial interest in indictment. I’m concerned he’s running interference for her,” Brown said.
Mosby has been on the job for four months after winning over voters for promising to hold police accountable, claiming her opponent was “too cozy” with officers and “too out of touch with the citizens.”
Another person who expressed their concerns over the connection between Mosby and Murphy is former prosecutor and current defense attorney Ivan Bates.
“I think she has too much pressure to not indict, from the pressure of her husband’s constituents, of her mentor Billy Murphy, and of the pressure of making sure she wants to hold on to her job in four years. She’s going to feel the need to indict,” said Bates.
“She comes to the office with a belief in the integrity of these kinds of investigations. We have much more confidence in her than we have in the police because there’s never been any level of confidence, nor should there be, in the police investigating themselves,” he continued to say.
Mosby’s office nor Murphy have responded to the concerns made about their connection.
Another point to consider when examining conflicts of interest surrounding Mosby is her husband, Nick Mosby. Nick Mosby is a City Councilman who represents part of West Baltimore. How this may affect her is pure speculation, but it’s a logical conclusion to say the majority of his constituents wanted charges to be pressed against the officers.
