Opinion ID: 1533871
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Mistrial and Denial of Appellant's Double Jeopardy Claim

Text: Judge Juanita Kidd Stout (Judge Stout) was the presiding judge of the first trial. Jury selection began on October 15, 1993. The trial itself took eight and a half days. Judge Stout charged the jury on November 2, 1993. After less than nine hours of deliberations, the jurors indicated to Judge Stout that they were deadlocked. Judge Stout instructed the jurors on their duty to consult with one another and to reexamine their opinions if convinced they were erroneous. Jury deliberations resumed. Once the jury left the courtroom, defense counsel requested a mistrial, which the judge denied: not at this point.... It is not proper under the law to grant a mistrial at this point. N.T. 11/3/93 at 1125-1126. However, eventually the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict and the trial court declared a mistrial. The trial court described the events leading to the mistrial as follows: On November [3 [4] ] 1993 at 2:55 p.m., the jury sent a note to the Court indicating it was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The Court advised the jury that it had been deliberating only 8 ½ hours after having heard testimony for 8 ½ days. The guidelines for deliberations were reread to them and the deliberations resumed at 2:59 p.m. The Appellant's attorney moved for a mistrial. The motion was denied. The jury continued to deliberate until 5 p.m. or thereabouts. On November [4 [5] ], 1993 at 10:35 a.m., the jury requested a review of the definition of reasonable doubt. That was given at 10:45 a.m. and the jury returned to deliberate. Between 10:45 a.m. and 2:15 p.m., screaming and table banging were audible in the hallway. At 2:15 p.m., on one sheet of paper, the Court received the following two notes[:] Hon. Juanita K. Stout Court number 513 11/3/93. It has become apparent from the deliberations that the jury has been unable to reach a unanimous decision. Vote 11-1 respectfully submitted Charles Graham. Foreman. It has been said that there is NOTHING that can be said to convince or change the mind of the juror who does not agree. The juror has stated this and a unanimous verdict is not possible Charles T. Graham, Foreman. The Court requested the Sheriff to bring the defendant to the Courtroom and notified counsel to return. During this brief interval, the jury foreman advised the Court crier that a verdict had been reached after all. The crier then advised the jury of the procedure for announcing the verdict and told the jurors that they might be polled. After the defendant and attorneys had assembled, the jury was brought into the courtroom at 2:25 p.m. At that time, the following occurred: COURT CRIER: Good Afternoon, your Honor, your Honor may I take the verdict, please? THE COURT: You may. COURT CRIER: Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, you have agreed upon a verdict? THE JURY: Yes, we have. COURT CRIER: Have all twelve agreed? JUROR NUMBER 2: No. COURT CRIER: On. SPECTATOR: Wait a minute. JUROR NUMBER 2: I don't agree with the verdict. THE COURT: If you do not agree with the verdict, I will have to declare a mistrial. Opinion of Stout, J. at 1-3. The juror did not agree and, on November 4, 1993, the trial court declared a mistrial. N.T. 11/4/93, at 1135. On November 12, 1993, Appellant filed a motion to bar retrial claiming a violation of the Double Jeopardy Clause of the United States Constitution. The trial court denied the motion on November 30, 1993. [6] On December 7, 1994, the Superior Court affirmed the decision of the trial court. [7] On June 21, 1995, this Court denied Appellant's petition for allowance of appeal. On January 16, 1996, the United States Supreme Court denied Appellant's petition for a writ of certiorari. [8] On June 25, 1996, Appellant sought federal habeas corpus relief claiming that a retrial would violate federal constitutional protections against double jeopardy. On September 18, 1996, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania denied the habeas petition. [9]