Jury Deadlocks in Murder Trial of Sports Agent
A mistrial was declared today during the 14th day of jury deliberations in the trial of a sports agent accused of hiring two men to kill an ex-business partner.
The Alameda County Superior Court panel reported it was deadlocked 9-3 to convict Michael Blatt of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
That left Judge Frank Kim no choice but to declare a mistrial, because jurors must reach unanimous verdicts for convictions in criminal cases under California law.
Blatt, a developer in Stockton and briefly acting general manager of the Seattle Seahawks, was accused of hiring two former football players from the University of the Pacific to kill Laurence J. Carnegie.
He was shot with an arrow from a crossbow near Stockton on Feb. 28, 1989, then strangled. Carnegie’s body was dumped in rural Sonoma County.
The two men Blatt was accused of hiring, James Mackey and Carl C. Hancock, admitted killing Carnegie. They were guaranteed reduced sentences for cooperating with Blatt’s prosecution.
“We went through a very conscientious decision process, and we were unable to reach agreement,” said jury foreman Bob Peppler.
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