--- description: The unfamiliar charge is among those that will be faced by officers implicated in the death of Freddie Gray title: Freddie Gray Case and Depraved Heart Murder: What the Charge Means image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0551a65b4a0bbf57/6987edf3f887dc32d0e8e473/mosby.jpeg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # What Is 'Depraved Heart Murder'?  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. May 1, 2015 5:42 PM CUT  Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby announces that criminal charges will be filed against Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore on May 1, 2015. Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby announces that criminal charges will be filed against Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore on May 1, 2015.Andrew Burton—Getty Images  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. May 1, 2015 5:42 PM CUT On Friday morning, Maryland state’s attorney Marilyn J. Mosby [announced](http://time.com/3843342/freddie-gray-charges-police-baltimore/ "undefined") that the police officers who were involved in the arrest of Freddie Gray will be prosecuted for Gray’s death. The charges faced by the six officers include assault, manslaughter — and one that may be unfamiliar to many observers: one of the officers faces a charge of second degree depraved heart murder. What does that mean? And how is it different from regular second degree murder? Though the Maryland [penal code section on second degree murder](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmStatutesText.aspx?article=gcr§ion=2-204&ext=html&session=2015RS&tab=subject5 "undefined") doesn’t use the poetic-sounding term, it has a long history in the state. In a 1981 case in the state’s court of special appeals, [_DeBettencourt v. State_](https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2260873/debettencourt-v-state/ "undefined")_,_ Judge J. Moylan wrote: --- > “” --- To put that in layman’s terms, the charge of second degree depraved heart murder means that the prosecution thinks that the officer in question displayed “wanton indifference” to Freddie Gray’s life, and did not care whether or not the way he was being treated would result in his death. It is a heavier charge than negligent or involuntary manslaughter — depraved heart murder suggests that the perpetrator knew the act in question was dangerous and didn’t care. As the Maryland Court of Special Appeals [noted in 1991](http://law.justia.com/cases/maryland/court-of-special-appeals/1991/1758-september-term-1990-0.html "undefined"), the malice involved in that charge can be either an act of malice (using the example of driving a car into a crowd, not specifically intending to kill a particular person but with complete disregard for the fact that it was likely a death would result) or of omission (_not_ doing something, such that you knew that failure to do so would likely kill someone). In that same 1991 opinion, the court noted that those cases are often traced back to a British prosecution in 1857, in which one Lord Campbell stated that “it has never been doubted that if death is the directed consequence of the malicious omission of the performance of a duty (as of a mother to nourish her infant child) this is a case of murder. If the omission was not malicious and arose from negligence only, it is a case of manslaughter.” British case law is the source of much of America’s common law. Despite the charge’s long history, its definition remains subject to debate. As has been [pointed out ](http://myweb.wvnet.edu/~jelkins/adcrimlaw/depraved%5Fheart%5Fmurder.html "undefined")by many legal scholars, the line between negligence and malicious recklessness can be a fine one—but it’s one that at least one jury in Maryland will likely have to walk in the near future. ### See Protests Against Police Violence Across the U.S. After Freddie Gray's Death  Demonstrators march to protest the death of Freddie Gray, in Philadelphia on April 30, 2015. Mark Makela—Getty Images  Demonstrators march in Baltimore on April 29, 2015. Eric Thayer—Reuters  New York Police Department officers detain a protester during a march through the Manhattan borough of New York City on April 29, 2015. Lucas Jackson—Reuters  People march in protest against police violence in Boston on April 29, 2015. Brian Snyder—Reuters  Protestors hold signs during a protest to support the rallies in Baltimore, in front of the White House in Washington on April 29, 2015. Alex Brandon—AP  A small but loud group shouts at New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, protesting the governor's decision to send New Jersey state troopers to Baltimore, in New Brunswick, N.J. on April 29, 2015. Mel Evans—AP  Protestors and activits hold a rally in front of Chicago Police Headquarters in Chicago on April 28, 2015. Rick Majewski—Sipa USA  Cinnamon Burton and Skye Johnson join protesters, in solidarity with Baltimore, marching in front of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, N.M. on April 29, 2015. Jim Thompson—Zuma Press  A demonstrator is arrested by NYPD officers during a protest at Union Square in New York City on April 29, 2015. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez—AFP/Getty Images  New York City police escort a woman off the street and back onto the sidewalk where she was released during a protest in New York City on April 29, 2015. Julie Jacobson—AP  Protestors and activits hold a rally in front of Chicago Police Headquarters to show support for Baltimore in Chicago on April 28, 2015. Rick Majewski—Sipa USA ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3843388/freddie-gray-depraved-heart-murder/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3843388/freddie-gray-depraved-heart-murder/"},"headline":"What Is 'Depraved Heart Murder'?","datePublished":"2015-05-01T17:42:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:04:14.559Z","description":"One of the Baltimore cops in the Freddie Gray case was just charged with it. 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