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Who is Marilyn Mosby? Freddie Gray prosecutor comes from family steeped in policing (w/video)

 
Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announces that criminal charges will be filed against Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray. Gray died in police custody after being arrested on April 12, 2015.  [Getty Images]
Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announces that criminal charges will be filed against Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray. Gray died in police custody after being arrested on April 12, 2015. [Getty Images]
Published May 2, 2015

BALTIMORE — Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby walked down the steps of the Baltimore War Memorial on Friday morning and — with a vigor seldom seen from officials handling the aftermath of Freddie Gray's death — made a stunning announcement to a crowd of reporters: The officers involved in his arrest would be charged.

Almost as stunning: Mosby is just 35 and has been on the job for less than four months.

The African-American lawyer ousted a white incumbent, Gregg Bernstein, in the Democratic primary by promising to hold police accountable.

She echoed that sentiment Friday as she talked about Gray's relatives. "I assured the family," she said, "that no one was above the law."

While many in Baltimore celebrated the charges, some in the law enforcement community questioned it. Around the same time that Mosby made her bold announcement, the police union asked that she appoint a special prosecutor to determine whether charges should be filed.

"While I have the utmost respect for you and your office, I have very deep concerns about the many conflicts of interest presented by your office conducting an investigation in this case," Gene Ryan, a leader of Baltimore's Fraternal Order of Police, wrote in an open letter.

Ryan pointed to Mosby's relationship with William Murphy, the lawyer representing Gray's family. Maryland campaign finance records show Murphy contributed $5,000 to her campaign for state's attorney.

"Most importantly," Ryan continued, "it is clear that your husband's political future will be directly impacted, for better or worse, by the outcome of your investigation."

Her husband is Nick Mosby, a member of the Baltimore City Council who represents the West Baltimore neighborhood where Gray was arrested.

At the news conference, Mosby was asked whether her husband's job presented any potential conflicts, but she sharply denied that any existed.

Mosby, who has two young daughters, comes from a family steeped in law enforcement experience. Her mother, her grandfather and two of her uncles were Boston police officers.

"She always wanted to be an attorney and work for the community," said her mother, Linda Thompson, 52. "The world's her stage right now, and she's shining like a star."

Mosby grew up in Boston and knew from age 6 that she wanted a career in law, Thompson said.

After little Marilyn badly cut her knee in a yard littered with broken glass, her mother sued the landlord. On their day in court, Marilyn was twirling in the middle of the room before the proceedings began, her mother said.

The judge, Thompson recalled, looked down at her.

"Hi, little girl," the judge said. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Marilyn didn't hesitate: "A judge."

"Never wavered," Thompson said. "Never, ever, ever."

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Mosby met her husband while they were students at Tuskegee University in Alabama. She later attended Boston College Law School. After clerking at U.S. attorney's offices in Boston and Washington, she joined the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office in 2005 and moved up the ranks before leaving to work for an insurance company.