Mistrial Declared in Trial’s Sanity Phase
From Times Staff Reports
A judge declared a mistrial Tuesday in the sanity phase of the trial of a woman convicted of killing a 65-year-old man with her car outside a Van Nuys bagel store in September 2000.
Jurors had found Marie Elise West, 39, guilty of second-degree murder. But they deadlocked on whether she was sane when she repeatedly ran over Jesus Plascencia, then called him “road kill.” Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson will impanel a new jury to retry West to determine whether she should go to prison or a mental institution.
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