Mistrial declared in Benjamin Blackstone trial Jury deadlocked at 11-1 in favor of not guilty verdict
A district judge declared a mistrial Wednesday afternoon in the trial of a man charged in a shooting death of his friend.
District Judge Melissa Skinner made the decision after a jury said it was hopelessly deadlocked 11-1 for a not guilty verdict in the trial of Benjamin Blackstone.
The defendant was charged with manslaughter in the death of Jeffery Keller.
According to trial testimony, Blackstone and Keller were examining a shotgun when the two got into an argument over the way Keller was handling the shotgun.
Blackstone, who was holding an AR-15 assault rifle, said he felt threatened by Keller and fired the rifle in self-defense, according to trial testimony.
The case will be sent back to the trial docket system.
Blackstone remains free on bond.
Copyright 2014 by KSAT.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
About the Author Paul Venema headshot
Paul Venema is a courthouse reporter for KSAT with more than 25 years experience in the role.
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