File Photo
Karina Vetrano’s body was discovered the night of Aug. 2, 2016, by her father lying in a marshy area of Spring Creek Park.
By Michael V. Cusenza
The judge presiding over the case against the man accused of murdering Howard Beach jogger Karina Vetrano declared a mistrial due to a hung jury late Tuesday night after the panel completed its second day of deliberations but ultimately could not produce a finding.
“After deliberating for the entire day we are split. It doesn’t seem like we can make progress. We feel that we have exhausted all of our options,” the jury wrote in a note to Judge Michael Aloise, according to a New York Post report.
Defense attorneys for Chanel Lewis subsequently asked that a mistrial be granted.
“I’m inclined to agree, even though it’s only been a day and a half,” Aloise responded, per the Post. “There were extensive deliberations. They covered issues central to the debate.”
The panel had asked to review several pieces of the Queens District Attorney’s Office’s case as it deliberated, including: autopsy photos; crime scene photos, specifically of the victim’s neck; DNA reports; DNA expert testimony; tape of Lewis’s confession; Lewis’s phone web searches; Lewis’s and Vetrano’s phone records; and cell phone tower maps, according to a CBS 2 News report.
Vetrano, 30, was jogging alone in Spring CreekPark at approximately 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, when she was allegedly confronted by Lewis, 22, who beat, sexually assaulted, and strangled her, according to the charges. Vetrano’s body was discovered by her father later that night lying in a marshy area, approximately 15 feet from a trail near 161st Avenue and 78th Street in the notorious green space.
Brad Leventhal, deputy executive assistant district attorney for Major Crimes, confirmed that the DA will move to retry Lewis. He remains in City Department of Correction custody. His next court date is Jan. 22.
