Suspect Accused of Ambushing Ex-Girlfriend’s Date : 4th Trial Asked After Deadlock in Granada Hills Killing

For the third time, a jury has been unable to reach a verdict on a murder charge against a Granada Hills man accused of the 1984 ambush killing of his former girlfriend’s date.

San Fernando Superior Court Judge Ronald S. W. Lew on Tuesday declared a third mistrial in the case of Charles Ruben Stevens, 36, when the jury, after five days of deliberation, reported that it was deadlocked 9 to 3 for acquittal.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Janice L. Maurizi immediately asked for a fourth murder trial for Stevens. Lew said he will consider the request Oct. 31.

Stevens’ first trial ended in September, 1985, with the jury deadlocked 10 to 2 for conviction. The second trial ended in March with the jury favoring conviction by 8 to 4.

Stevens was accused of shooting Evans Lee Crawford, 29, outside Crawford’s Granada Hills house in December, 1984. In her closing arguments to the jury last week, Maurizi argued that Stevens killed Crawford in a fit of rage and jealousy because Crawford was seeing Stevens’ former live-in girlfriend.

The murder weapon was identified as a .22-caliber revolver that Stevens received as a birthday present from his girlfriend before they broke up.

Stevens, who is free on bail, declined to comment Tuesday. His attorney, Deputy Public Defender Paul Enright, said he would like to see the charge against Stevens dismissed but that he is prepared for a fourth trial if the judge orders one.

“They’ve had three shots at him, and he hasn’t been convicted,” Enright said. “At some point, the defendant has to stop being dragged through the courts.

“I understand the grief of the victim’s family, but their grief doesn’t equal my client being guilty.”

Jurors said they were unable to reach a verdict after five ballots. Their first vote was 7 to 5 for conviction, they said.

“The more we talked about issues, the more confused it was,” one juror said.

Jurors who favored acquittal said they were influenced by testimony of one of Crawford’s neighbors who spotted a man outside Crawford’s house after the shooting. The neighbor, Kathleen McCrory, went to a police station about three weeks after the killing, studied a photograph of Stevens and eliminated him as a suspect based on his height and build.

Jurors also said they had trouble believing some prosecution witnesses who were friends of Stevens and Crawford and seemed to know more than what their testimony indicated.

There is no limit on the number of times a case can be tried. Maurizi recalled one murder case in California that was tried six times.

The prosecutor said she still believes the circumstantial evidence against Stevens is strong enough to warrant another trial.

But she said a final decision to go ahead with another trial, if the judge grants one, would be based on the chances for conviction and the cost to taxpayers.