A mural depicting Freddie Gray in the Baltimore neighbourhood where he lived Brendon Smialowski/Getty This content is subject to copyright.
A Maryland judge will issue the verdict on a Baltimore police officer who was charged in the April 2015 death of Freddie Gray, which sparked massive protests in the city and further galvanised the Black Lives Matter movement.
Officer Edward Nero was charged with second-degree assault, misconduct in office, and reckless endangerment and could face more than 10 years in prison if convicted. Mr Nero waived his right to a jury trial. Judge Barry Williams is expected to issue the verdict Monday.
Freddie Gray died on 19 April 2015, one week after his arrest, which prosecutors say was unjustified. Officers allegedly placed Mr Gray in the back of a police van handcuffed and shackled at his feet, but left unsecured to his seat.
Defense attorneys say that it was not Mr Nero’s responsibility to fasten Mr Gray’s safety belt as we was neither the driver of the police transport van nor the arresting officer. They also argue that the BPD rule for fastening suspects inside of vehicles upon arrest is more suggestion than rule, as each situation requires the officers to use their discretion based on the circumstances, the Associated Press reports.
Mr Nero, 30, is the second officer to stand trial for the arrest of Freddie Gray - whose death led to more than a week of protests in the city. Officer William Porter faced manslaughter charges, but his trial ended with a hung jury. Mr Porter will receive a retrial in September.
The City of Baltimore reached a $6.4m (£4.4m) wrongful death settlement with the Gray family in September. The settlement itself will have no bearing on the ongoing criminal trials of the officers who arrested Mr Gray. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said that the settlement would help the city avoid a long, drawn-out civil suit.