In case you missed it—and you probably did since it was published the day after the election—the Baltimore Sun published my op-ed demanding the Baltimore police finally close the investigation into the death of Detective Sean Suiter. I outlined my reasons why in the article, including information I obtained from the department about its guidelines for case closure. By the department's own standards, the case should've been closed a few years ago.
I know many people have strong feelings about this case and would be upset if it were closed as either an unsolved homicide or as a suicide, depending on their beliefs. For my purposes, closing the case at all would be a win. Then I could request case files that have never been made public. Of course, that's why I assume they aren't closing it.
I haven't stopped investigating this case. Well, I stopped for a while to work on and promote my book on Freddie Gray's death. My success in getting that story told after so many years has inspired me to revisit the Suiter case. At one time, I thought what my investigative partner and I had learned about Freddie Gray would never see a broader audience. Now I know it is possible, even when it feels like there are too many barriers.
For those of you who have followed by Suiter investigation—from the Jewish Journal series to the Baltimore Brew to many articles on this site—stay tuned, because there is more to come! Fighting to get the case closed will be a part of my pursuit of the truth.
In the meantime, getting the Baltimore Sun, of all outlets, to publish my op-ed was a pleasant surprise. I have directly criticized the Sun for many years. I published an article on its failures in the Freddie Gray case for FAIR and was critical of its coverage in my book. I have criticized the Sun's Sean Suiter coverage on this site and on social media.
But the Sun was recently bought up by David Smith, an arch-conservative whose family also owns the local Fox News, as I wrote about for FAIR. A lot of its reporters left for the Baltimore Banner. One might think that the new, more conservative, owners would be less willing to publish a very independent, anti-authoritarian reporter. But the people I criticized have mostly left the Sun, leaving room for voices like mine. It's the unintended positive consequence of a shift in ownership that most liberal-minded locals consider negative.