GRAND RAPDIS, Mich. – The jury in the Christopher Schurr trial told the judge they were deadlocked, but the judge instructed them to continue deliberations.
Deliberations began just after 12:30 p.m. Monday, May 5, after both the prosecution and defense presented their final arguments. Schurr faces charges of murder in the death of Patrick Lyoya.
Lyoya, a 26-year-old Congolese refugee, was shot and killed by a Grand Rapids Police Officer during a traffic stop in April 2022.
Schurr, a former Grand Rapids Police officer, is charged with second-degree murder in Lyoya’s death.
---> Jury choices in murder trial in death of Patrick Lyoya: Manslaughter, murder, not guilty?
Just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6, they sent a note to the judge that they could not reach a unanimous decision.
“This happens pretty frequently at least from my standpoint,” Judge Christina Mims said. “I’m going to give them this instruction and allow them to continue to deliberate.”
Mims called the jury back into the courtroom, where she read them special instructions for a deadlocked jury.
“As you deliberate you should carefully and seriously consider the views of your fellow jurors,” Mims said. “Talk things over in the spirit of fairness and frankness.”
The jury has three options to choose from: guilty of second-degree murder, guilty of voluntary manslaughter or not guilty.
The jurors heard more than 30 hours of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses, including Schurr.
After hearing from the judge, the jury went back to the deliberation room before being dismissed around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday.
The jury will resume deliberations at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
