WENATCHEE, Wash. (AP) — A Chelan County jury has deadlocked in the trial of a man charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of his best friend.
Superior Court Judge T.W. “Chip” Small declared a mistrial Friday in the case of Steven Michael Swinford. The Wenatchee World reports (http://bit.ly/tekfzr) that a date for a retrial is expected to be set at a hearing Wednesday.
Jurors deliberated more than six hours Friday and three hours on Thursday.
The 21-year-old Swinford shot 22-year-old Paul Raney seven times with a .45-caliber pistol on Jan. 28. Swinford told jurors that after a dispute over use of an iPod, he saw Raney reaching for a handgun. Swinford said he snatched up a loaded pistol, closed his eyes and fired.
The shooting took place in front of a third man, who said it was unprovoked. All three men had been drinking.
