San Diego

Jurors considering the death penalty for a convicted murderer indicated Monday that they are deadlocked and may not be able to reach a verdict. But a San Diego Superior Court judge ordered them to continue deliberations.

After discussing the fate of Keith Shawn Cosby, 29, for almost three days, jurors sent out a note Monday saying they are at a 7-5 vote impasse.

But during questioning by Judge David Gill, some jurors indicated that progress was still possible, and Gill ordered the panel to continue its deliberations. The jurors’ task is to recommend that Cosby either receive the death penalty or life in state prison without the possibility of parole.

The same jury convicted Cosby on Oct. 28 of the first-degree murders of two store clerks in 1985. The jury found a special circumstance--warranting a possible death penalty--in that one slaying occurred during a robbery.

The case involves the June 1, 1985, slaying of Fred Harb, 49, an AM/PM mini-market clerk on University Avenue, and the Aug. 26, 1985, death of Kenneth Muck, 55, at the Aztec Liquor Store on El Cajon Boulevard.

Gill told the jurors not to say in court which side they are leaning toward. The jury had taken four ballots. The jurors get today off and will resume their deliberations Wednesday.