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A Circuit Court jury reached an impasse at 8-4 in favor of acquitting State Department special agent Christopher Deedy of murdering Kollin Elderts in the 2011 shooting at a Waikiki McDonald’s restaurant, the foreman of the jury said today.
The panel was split 6-6 when the five days of deliberations began Aug. 15, shifted to 7-4 for acquittal with one abstention last week and ended with the 8-4 deadlock, foreman Justin Odagiri said.
The foreman said he wasn’t sure if the jury could have reached a verdict if the jurors had the option of returning a conviction on the lesser offense of manslaughter.
“It’s hard to say in hindsight,” Odagiri said. “It’s hard to go back and think about that.”
He said the jury tried its best and did what it could, but still feels badly it could not reach a verdict in choosing between an acquittal or conviction on the second-degree murder charge.
“I feel sorry for the next jury,” he said.
Circuit Judge Karen Ahn declared a mistrial after the jury reported Monday that it was deadlocked and further deliberations would not help them reach a verdict.
