SOUTHLAND : Gionis Assault Case a Mistrial
A mistrial was declared today after jurors failed to reach a verdict in an assault case that prosecutors allege stemmed from a bitter custody dispute over the late actor John Wayne’s granddaughter, Anastasia.
Jurors deliberated for four days in the case of Dr. Thomas A. Gionis, 37, charged with eight felony counts in the Oct. 3, 1988, assault on his ex-wife, Aissa Wayne, before splitting 9-3 in favor of conviction.
After the mistrial was declared, prosecutors, citing the majority in favor of conviction, announced that Gionis will be tried again. Shortly after noon, Superior Court Judge Theodore E. Millard set Jan. 24 as the date for further court proceedings.
Aissa Wayne was beaten, and a companion, financier Roger W. Luby, was slashed in the attack in Newport Beach.
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