Mistrial declared in beating death of man with special needs

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A man accused in the 2013 beating death of his housemate with special needs will get a new trial.

The Sun Herald reports (https://bit.ly/2eAESxg) a jury could not return a unanimous verdict on Wednesday.

District Attorney Joel Smith said Circuit Judge Lisa Dodson declared a mistrial in the case against Johnny Owens III.

A jury returned a guilty verdict for second-degree murder in the death of 50-year-old Larry Johnson. The Gulfport man was beaten and stomped in the head Feb. 25, 2013. He was taken off life support the following day.

But after further inquiry, Smith says the court learned the jurors’ verdict was not unanimous, so Dodson declared a mistrial.

Owens will face trial again Dec. 12.

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Information from: The Sun Herald, https://www.sunherald.com