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Jurors in Jayson Williams' manslaughter trial told the judge Thursday they are in agreement on six of the eight charges against Williams and are split on two others. The judge told them to keep trying.
The development came on the afternoon of the second full day of deliberations in the case of the retired NBA star.
"Let me indicate to you that we are going to ask you to continue in your deliberations," Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman told the panel.
It was not specified which counts were still being debated.
Among the charges Williams faces are aggravated manslaughter, the most serious with a potential sentence of 30 years; reckless manslaughter; assault; a weapons violation; and tampering with witnesses. The charges stem from the Feb. 14, 2002, killing of limousine service driver Costas "Gus" Christofi at Williams' mansion.
The note explaining the split was the sixth the jury had sent from the room where it had already spent over 15 hours considering the charges. Of the five notes sent on Tuesday and Wednesday, none focused on the top charge.
On Wednesday, jurors had testimony read back about what Williams said and did just after the shooting.
The panel also heard again about who allegedly told houseguests to lie to police about where they were when the shotgun Williams was handling went off in his bedroom.
Defense attorneys have argued the shooting was an accident and that a malfunction in the gun's firing mechanism caused the weapon to go off. Prosecutors contend Williams was handling the shotgun so recklessly that it amounted to a crime.
In all, the eight charges carry up to 55 years in prison.
The shooting happened as the former New Jersey Nets player gave a tour of his mansion to friends and members of the Harlem Globetrotters.
To convict Williams, 36, on the manslaughter charge, the jury must unanimously find that he recklessly caused Christofi's death "under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life."
Williams is also charged with trying to make the shooting look like a suicide by wiping down the shotgun and putting Christofi's hands on the gun. Prosecutors said he instructed his guests to lie to authorities.
Source: AP
The development came on the afternoon of the second full day of deliberations in the case of the retired NBA star.
"Let me indicate to you that we are going to ask you to continue in your deliberations," Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman told the panel.
It was not specified which counts were still being debated.
Among the charges Williams faces are aggravated manslaughter, the most serious with a potential sentence of 30 years; reckless manslaughter; assault; a weapons violation; and tampering with witnesses. The charges stem from the Feb. 14, 2002, killing of limousine service driver Costas "Gus" Christofi at Williams' mansion.
The note explaining the split was the sixth the jury had sent from the room where it had already spent over 15 hours considering the charges. Of the five notes sent on Tuesday and Wednesday, none focused on the top charge.
On Wednesday, jurors had testimony read back about what Williams said and did just after the shooting.
The panel also heard again about who allegedly told houseguests to lie to police about where they were when the shotgun Williams was handling went off in his bedroom.
Defense attorneys have argued the shooting was an accident and that a malfunction in the gun's firing mechanism caused the weapon to go off. Prosecutors contend Williams was handling the shotgun so recklessly that it amounted to a crime.
In all, the eight charges carry up to 55 years in prison.
The shooting happened as the former New Jersey Nets player gave a tour of his mansion to friends and members of the Harlem Globetrotters.
To convict Williams, 36, on the manslaughter charge, the jury must unanimously find that he recklessly caused Christofi's death "under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life."
Williams is also charged with trying to make the shooting look like a suicide by wiping down the shotgun and putting Christofi's hands on the gun. Prosecutors said he instructed his guests to lie to authorities.
Source: AP