OKANOGAN, Wash. (AP) — The Okanogan County prosecutor says he has not yet decided whether to retry a faith-healing couple accused of being criminally responsible for their teenage son’s death by failing to call a doctor.
Prosecutor Karl Sloan says his office will first reach out to jurors to try to determine why they couldn’t reach a verdict on some counts.
A jury acquitted JaLea Swezey and Greg Swezey of second-degree murder and JaLea Swezey of first-degree manslaughter on Monday. The jury failed to reach a verdict for Greg Swezey on that count and on second-degree manslaughter counts for each parent.
A June 4 hearing is scheduled.
Zachery Swezey died at his Carlton home of a ruptured appendix in 2009. Jurors were told the couple belong to the Church of the First Born, which believes in faith healing.
