POMONA : Jurors Deadlock 11-1 for Death Penalty in 2 Murders

A mistrial was declared Tuesday in the penalty phase of the murder trial of Sergio Nelson, 20, a La Verne man convicted of killing two Target store co-workers in La Verne last year.

A Pomona Superior Court jury Dec. 13 found Nelson guilty of first-degree murder in the Oct. 2, 1993, deaths of Robin Shirley, 23, and Lee Thompson, 22, both of Pomona. The prosecutor argued that Nelson, who had worked at the store for a little more than a year, was distraught because he had been passed over for a promotion given to Shirley.

After conclusion of the penalty phase of the trial, the jury was to decide whether to recommend the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jurors said they deadlocked 11 to 1 in favor of the death penalty and a mistrial was declared. A Jan. 10 hearing has been scheduled to decide if a second jury should be convened to rehear the penalty phase.