Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) Statement on State of Maryland v. Edward Nero

Washington, D.C. (May 23, 2016) — Today, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD) issued the following statement on the verdict in State of Maryland v. Edward Nero:

“Every American has the right to a trial decided by a jury of their peers or a trial decided by a judge. Mr. Edward Nero chose to forgo a jury and exercised his right to have Judge Barry G. Williams decide his case. Today, Judge Williams—after hearing the evidence presented by the prosecution and Mr. Nero’s defense attorneys—issued a not guilty verdict in this trial; I thank him for his service.

“Like many Baltimore residents, I was personally struck by Mr. Freddie Gray’s death, and I know that we will all continue to struggle with the strong emotions it invokes in us.

“Following Mr. Gray’s death, the citizens of Baltimore demanded justice, and it is clear that the wheels of justice are turning. I commend the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office for its efforts to pursue justice, and I thank everyone who has worked on Mr. Nero’s trial.

“Justice has always relied on trust in the judicial process, and that is what I call on all of Baltimore’s residents to do because there will be more trials in the death of Mr. Freddie Gray. We cannot control the outcome of any of these trials, but what we can control is our work to continue healing our community.

“With eyes toward the future, we must continue working to reform our criminal justice system—in Maryland and nationwide—and we must continue to invest in our young people. Baltimore is a city on the rise, but the question is: will we all rise together?

“I believe that we are on the road to creating a city that uplifts all of its residents. Today’s verdict should not take us off course, instead, it should remind us of the importance of the road ahead.”