A mistrial. A waste of everyone's time and effort.
Usually considered a win by the Defense.
Sorry, that's the way I feel about it.
Mistrial declared in baby slaying
Elizabeth Allen: Express-News
After three days of deliberations, jurors on Thursday deadlocked in the trial of a man accused of killing his 10-week-old daughter.
After urging the jury all day to continue deliberating, 144th District Judge Catherine Torres-Stahl at 7 p.m. declared a mistrial in the capital murder case against Jerry Christopher Crisp.
Crisp, 23, was accused of the April 2005, beating death of his daughter, Jayden Marie Crisp. Family members on both sides declined to comment Thursday.
Crisp, 23, was accused of the April 2005, beating death of his daughter, Jayden Marie Crisp. Family members on both sides declined to comment Thursday.
Prosecutors, who sought the death penalty in the two-week trial, said that Crisp was responsible for the infant's death, who suffered blunt force trauma to her skull. Medical examiners also found 30 bruises on her head and body and evidence of suffocation and rib fractures dating back as long as eight weeks.
But defense lawyer Tony Cantrell said the baby could have died from a fall off the changing table that day, when Crisp was taking care of her.
Jurors struggled with dueling testimony of medical examiners, making numerous requests over the three days that finally led to them being given the testimony of each doctor.
In several hours of interviews with police, Crisp never said he killed his daughter. But he did admit to shaking her, squeezing her, choking her and bouncing her "real hard."
In several hours of interviews with police, Crisp never said he killed his daughter. But he did admit to shaking her, squeezing her, choking her and bouncing her "real hard."
During the trial, prosecutors presented Crisp as a man who took over almost every aspect of his baby daughter's care from his common-law wife, Cassandra Flores, who had no prior childcare experience.
Flores, however, was the steady worker of the financially struggling couple.
She had just started a new job the day of Jayden's death, and Crisp took their daughter to see her during lunch. But the baby looked "horrible," Flores testified.
She had just started a new job the day of Jayden's death, and Crisp took their daughter to see her during lunch. But the baby looked "horrible," Flores testified.
Glassy-eyed and wheezing, "she wouldn't look at me," Flores said. Flores suggested she see a doctor, but Crisp told her that it was just allergies and constipation.
