Baltimore State Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced early Friday morning that Freddie Gray‘s death has been ruled a homicide and six officers have been charged in the crime.
Days ago, most of us didn’t know who Mosby was. In fact, we were all drenched in the news reports surrounding Gray, 25, and the spinal cord injury in the back of a police car that lead to his death. We were also preoccupied with the reports on the Baltimore protests and riots that would follow by locals after Gray’s death.
While many were relieved to hear that the officers in the case were, indeed, charged for Gray’s wrongful death, many are now speculating what they think will be the result of all this. Meanwhile others are fascinated with the lead attorney in the case and want to learn more about her background.
Unfortunately, Mosby is already rubbing one Baltimore police union the wrong way.
The Baltimore branch of the Fraternal Order of Police sent a letter to Mosby, obtained by some reporters, asking her to appoint a special independent prosecutor. Why? Well, they believe she has a conflict of interest in the case. And well, should we state the obvious? She’s a well respected female black attorney.
In the letter, FOP’s head, Gene Ryan, noted Mosby’s “personal and professional relationship with Gray family attorney” William Murphy. Apparently, Murphy gave $5000 to Mosby during her campaign last year. “It is clear that your husband’s [Baltimore councilman Nick Mosby] political future will be directly impacted, for better or worse, by the outcome of your investigation,” Ryan adds. He’s requested that a special prosecutor to determine whether to file charges, an announcement Mosby eventually made this morning.
Get a better look at the letter below…
But who is this, seemingly, well educated and attractive state’s attorney?
Mosby, just four months on the job, is the youngest top prosecutor of any major city in America, according to NBC News.
The 35-year-old year old Democrat also comes from a long line of police officers. But don’t be fooled, her loyalty lies with the law. She is known to express her belief on holding cops accountable for their wrongful actions.
“My grandfather, my uncles, my mother, my father — I have five generations of police officers. I know that the majority of police officers are really hard-working officers who are risking their lives day in and day out, but those really bad ones who go rogue do a disservice to the officers who are risking their lives and taking time away from their families,” she told Baltimore Magazine in January, when she started her tenure as state’s attorney.
“She has a natural affinity for police officers and law enforcement types, and at the same time, she is aware of the incredible number of complaints against the Baltimore City police department,” said Richard Woods, a Baltimore-based attorney whose practice is primarily criminal defense work.
Mosby’s passion for the law also stems from her personal tragedy. When she was growing up in inner-city Boston, her 17-year-old cousin was mistaken for a drug dealer and killed outside her home by another 17-year-old.
Mosby, the first in her family to graduate from college, studied political science at Tuskegee University in Alabama and was raised by a single mother. She is also a former insurance company attorney with two daughters and is married to Nick Mosby, a Baltimore city councilman.
