Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said at a news conference on Friday that six city police officers were to be charged in the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old man who died last month after suffering a severe spinal injury in police custody. The case put Ms. Mosby, a 35-year-old former insurance company lawyer who had never before held elected office, into the national spotlight.
Here are five things to know about Ms. Mosby.
Marilyn Mosby unseated Gregg Bernstein as state’s attorney in the 2014 Democratic primary election. During the campaign, she promised to better target violent repeat offenders who commit a disproportionate number of crimes and to launch a diversion program for young drug offenders aimed at keeping them from getting criminal records. She drew 33,800 votes, . Ms. Mosby, who grew up in Boston, has said her dedication to public safety is informed by personal experience. She is the daughter and granddaughter of police officers, and she witnessed the murder of a close family member in front of her house. Shortly after being elected chief prosecutor, she said prosecutors in the town had the “toughest job in America,” according to CNN.
2. Ms. Mosby has a team with experience handling cases involving police officers.
As one of her first key hires, Ms Mosby recruited Janice Bledsoe, a well-respected defense attorney who has probed and defended city police officers in high-profile cases. Janice Bledsoe, a deputy state’s attorney in charge of criminal investigations, spent a year and a half at the helm of the Baltimore prosecutor’s office police integrity unit, serving under Mr. Bernstein. Among the police misconduct cases she handled was a corruption probe into whether two high-ranking officers had improperly collected overtime payments. She left the job after tangling with Mr. Bernstein over the investigation. As a private defense attorney, Ms. Mosby’s lieutenant represented cops, including an officer accused of rape who was acquitted in 2007.
3. Ms. Mosby has to overcome doubters who may be skeptical of her experience.
Several residents interviewed in West Baltimore recently said they knew little about Ms. Mosby and even Ms. Mosby’s strongest supporters acknowledge that she faces doubts from some city residents. Before an election victory last year that surprised many, Ms. Mosby had spent three years as field counsel at Liberty Mutual Insurance, reviewing and defending against suspicious claims. Before that, she was an assistant state’s attorney for five years. “I’ve seen this repeatedly where she’s sort of underestimated because of her age, or they think she doesn’t have enough experience,” said Kweisi Mfume, a former Maryland congressman and past head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Ms. Mosby passed the bar in 2006 after graduating from Boston College Law School.
4. Ms. Mosby’s husband is also in the public eye.
Ms. Mosby’s husband is City Councilman Nick Mosby, who represents areas of West Baltimore streets. When the unrest escalated in Baltimore streets late Monday, Mr. Mosby persuaded a phalanx of police officers in riot gear to pull back several blocks, saying he and community members could quell the agitated crowd on their own.
Baltimore defense attorney Warren Brown, who backed Ms. Mosby’s opponent last year, said the public’s assessment of Ms. Mosby’s handling of the Gray case could determine the political future for her and Mr. Mosby, both of whom are viewed as rising political stars.