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Baltimore cop who drove van that carried Freddie Gray acquitted on all charges

Prosecutors alleged that Gray died last year as a result of severe spinal injuries that he suffered during a "rough ride" inside Goodson's police van.

The Baltimore cop who faced the most serious charges in connection with the death of Freddie Gray was acquitted of all charges on Thursday, making him the third officer to avoid guilty charges in a case that sparked rioting last year in the city.

Officer Caesar Goodson drove the police van that carried Gray after his arrest last April, and prosecutors alleged that he was responsible for causing the severe spinal injuries that ultimately led to Gray's death.

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Goodson was charged with second-degree depraved heart murder, three counts of manslaughter, second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment. Rather than face a jury, Goodson opted for a bench trial, which allowed Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Barry G. Williams to decide the verdict unilaterally.

Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby alleged that Gray, 25, died "as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained" inside Goodson's police van. Five other officers have been charged, and Goodson was the third to go to trial. The case of Officer William Porter ended in a mistrial last December. Officer Edward Nero was found not guilty by Williams in a bench trial last month.

When Goodson's trial began last week, the case seemed to hinge on whether prosecutors could prove that Gray was subjected to a "rough ride" in the back of the police wagon. "There was no good reason for the officer to repeatedly fail to seatbelt Mr. Gray except to bounce him around," Chief Deputy State's Attorney Michael Schatzow said last week.

Related: Baltimore cop charged in Freddie Gray death sues prosecutor who charged him

Gray was arrested on the morning of April 12, 2015 after a foot chase with police in West Baltimore. The cops said Gray fled after making eye contact with an officer, and they later alleged that he was carrying an illegal pocketknife. After Gray was was loaded into Goodson's police wagon, the vehicle made a number of stops on its way to the police station. When they arrived, Gray was found unresponsive with a broken neck and a compressed spinal cord. He died a week later.

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By the time closing arguments in Goodson's case rolled around, prosecutors changed their tune and made no mention of the contentious "rough ride" theory. Instead, Prosecutor Jan Bledsoe told the judge that Goodson's failure to put a seatbelt on Gray or seek medical assistance made the officer culpable in the young man's death.

"Officer Goodson never calls a medic, he never takes Freddie Gray to hospital," Bledsoe said. "He breached his duty and because of that breach, Freddie Gray's life was shortened."

The judge pressed Schatzow on the "rough ride" theory during the trial. "The state said to the world, 'It's a rough ride.' What did you show to prove it?" Williams asked. He also questioned whether Gray's injuries could have been the result of a simple accident.

Goodson's defense team contended that Gray contributed to his own injuries by moving himself out of the prone position that officers had placed him in. They also argued that prosecutors failed to prove that Gray would have survived if he had been wearing a seatbelt, and said there was no evidence that Goodson was responsible for Gray's death.

Follow Tess Owen on Twitter: @misstessowen