theshark8777
05-08-2005, 09:10 PM
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - A judge declared a mistrial on Sunday in the case of a man accused of two dozen shootings on Ohio highways after the jury was unable to reach a verdict, but prosecutors immediately prepared for a retrial.
Charles McCoy, 29, was charged with the murder of Gail Knisely and with two dozen other shootings on Columbus-area highways that triggered a four-month manhunt in 2003 and 2004.
He had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and could have faced the death penalty if convicted.
A jury said on Sunday it was unable to reach a verdict in the case.
After Franklin County Judge Charles Schneider declared the mistrial, prosecutor Ron O'Brien said he was prepared to try the case a second time, and a pre-trial hearing was scheduled for Thursday. O'Brien said the trial might have to be moved to a new location to find an impartial panel.
McCoy was captured in a Las Vegas motel parking lot in March 2004 after fleeing Columbus. He was identified after his parents turned in weapons that police said were used in the shootings.
After the death of Knisely, who was a passenger in a car traveling along highway I-270 in Columbus, investigators uncovered a pattern of incidents in which shots were fired at cars, trucks, school buildings and school buses.
Unreal.
Charles McCoy, 29, was charged with the murder of Gail Knisely and with two dozen other shootings on Columbus-area highways that triggered a four-month manhunt in 2003 and 2004.
He had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and could have faced the death penalty if convicted.
A jury said on Sunday it was unable to reach a verdict in the case.
After Franklin County Judge Charles Schneider declared the mistrial, prosecutor Ron O'Brien said he was prepared to try the case a second time, and a pre-trial hearing was scheduled for Thursday. O'Brien said the trial might have to be moved to a new location to find an impartial panel.
McCoy was captured in a Las Vegas motel parking lot in March 2004 after fleeing Columbus. He was identified after his parents turned in weapons that police said were used in the shootings.
After the death of Knisely, who was a passenger in a car traveling along highway I-270 in Columbus, investigators uncovered a pattern of incidents in which shots were fired at cars, trucks, school buildings and school buses.
Unreal.