Criminal Justice
CNN + THE BALTIMORE SUN PARTNERSHIP
Who Killed Freddie Gray?
This was a documentary partnership with CNN that used some of The Baltimore Sun’s reporting and video for longer-form broadcast. Catherine was the journalist with The Sun who worked with CNN producers on the partnership… READ MORE
THE BALTIMORE SUN
Freddie Gray Remembered as Jokester Who Struggled to Leave Drug Trade
Catherine interviewed multiple sources close to Gray and culled court case documents for a print and multi-part video piece for The Baltimore Sun. The story traced Gray’s life in reverse - from death to birth - and how he faced challenges familiar to children in Baltimore, but unimaginable to so many outside… READ MORE
THE BALTIMORE SUN
The 45-Minute Mystery of Freddie Gray’s Death
This multimedia piece examined why it took 45 minutes for police to drive Freddie Gray to a station that was less than five minutes away. When police put Gray into the van, he was alive. When they took him out, he was not breathing and would soon die. Catherine produced the videos for a Baltimore Sun package that was part of our… READ MORE
THE BALTIMORE SUN
Baltimore Klansman Tried to Rebrand the KKK. Now he Awaits Trial in Charlottesville Shooting
After the “Unite the Right” white supremacist rally, Catherine looked at how a KKK “imperial wizard” who was criminally charged in a related Charlottesville shooting was from a mostly black Baltimore neighborhood. She reported and wrote the piece for The Baltimore Sun amid growing reports of hate incidents across the country… READ MORE
THE BALTIMORE SUN
Hate in Maryland: From Racist Taunts to Swastikas to a Campus Stabbing, Bias Reports Up Sharply in State.
Catherine spearheaded an investigation at The Baltimore Sun about the spike of hate incidents reported Maryland since the 2016 presidential campaign. She partnered with the ProPublica journalism nonprofit and wrote several reports about the trend and built a robust database of hate incidents from public information requests. The state later passed laws strengthening the law… READ MORE
THE BALTIMORE SUN
A Flawed, Inconsistent Police Response to Sexual Assault in Maryland
This project investigated how some police agencies were regularly throwing away rape evidence as early as one year after the hospital examination despite no statute of limitations. Catherine began the investigation after a survivor contacted her and another reporter upon learning that the physical evidence in her case had been destroyed about one year after she reported it to police… READ MORE
THE BALTIMORE SUN
All-Male Panel Ruled on Rape Bill during Maryland's Legislative Session
This short turn-around Baltimore Sun article looked at how five male legislators effectively killed a bill that would allow a woman who is raped to terminate the parental rights of her assailant. The bill passed in the next state legislative session… READ MORE
THE BALTIMORE SUN
Hundreds of Baltimore-Area Sex Assault Victims Signed Waivers Releasing Police from Duty of Investigating
This report looked at how some police departments were regularly asking sexual assault victims to waive their rights to an investigation. The piece, written, for The Baltimore Sun, led to two agencies immediately ending their practice and a new state law prohibiting the practice… READ MORE
THE BALTIMORE SUN
West Texas Oilman is Unlikely Angel for West Baltimore Youth Center
This dual profile for The Baltimore Sun told the story of how a former Texas football player who had never visited Baltimore came to back a youth center along the city’s most dangerous streets. Catherine reported, shot and produced the print and video story. It was one of several pieces she wrote about Kids Safe Zone and West Baltimore post… READ MORE
THE BALTIMORE SUN
A Rare Look inside Baltimore Police Department’s Internal Affairs
This investigation into those policing the police mapped out how Baltimore City police internal affairs investigators were routinely waiting months to interview crucial witnesses, processing complaints at a snail’s pace, and taking more than a year to rule on some cases, all leading to mostly inconclusive cases. Investigators were overwhelmed… READ MORE