FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A jury in South Florida delivered a manslaughter verdict, only to have their decision rescinded moments later when a juror recanted her vote.
The Broward County jury was ordered to return to the jury room on Wednesday to try to agree on the fate of Dayonte Resiles, who is accused of killing Jill Halliburton Su in 2014.
Jurors deliberated for four full days after the three-week trial, and sent questions to Broward Circuit Judge John J. Murphy on Monday and Tuesday before signaling they had reached a verdict, the South Florida SunSentinel reported.
They were trying to decide between manslaughter — which could carry a maximum sentence of 30 years — or first-degree murder, which in the case of Resiles, 27, could result in the death penalty.
Prosecutors said Su interrupted Resiles as he was burglarizing her home near Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 8, 2014. Evidence showed the 59-year-old woman was bound at the hands and feet, forced into a bathtub and stabbed about 25 times, according to court testimony.
Resiles pleaded not guilty. While DNA evidence placed Resiles at the scene, defense lawyers questioned whether the evidence was contaminated.
As is typical in a trial, the jurors were polled to say whether they agreed with the decision that was reached in the jury room. When the first juror was asked that question on Tuesday, she answered with a firm “No,” the SunSentinel reported.
The judge then ordered the jury to continue deliberating. The victim’s husband, Nan Yao Su, and her family and friends were left in shock as the jury quickly declared itself deadlocked. The judge then instructed them to try to reach an agreement, the newspaper reported.
They will return Wednesday to do just that, but if they can’t reach an agreement, Murphy will have to declare a mistrial.
Resiles also faces criminal charges from a 2016 escape attempt. Resiles unlocked his shackles and fled from a hearing at the courthouse, resulting in a six-day manhunt. After he was recaptured, he wrote the court insisting he fled because he is innocent, the newspaper reported.
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