Jurors 'hopelessly' deadlocked in Mount Vernon manslaughter case; deliberations continue
Jurors in the trial of a Mount Vernon man who fatally stabbed his sister's ex-boyfriend told the judge twice Wednesday they were "hopelessly" deadlocked, with a lone holdout on the manslaughter charge.
Both times acting state Supreme Court Justice Robert Neary urged them to keep deliberating, so they'll return to Westchester County Court Thursday morning.
The last note sent by jurors late in the day revealed an 11-1 split but did not indicate whether the majority favored conviction of Carlton Naughton on the top charge of first-degree manslaughter in the Aug. 27, 2021 killing of Chinyelu Browne.
The judge's ruling came despite defense lawyer Christina T. Hall's request for a mistrial. She said the tenor of the second note made it clear there was a juror who was not budging − she said "hopelessly" was underlined in the note − and that ordering them to continue deliberating was putting undue pressure on that juror "to move over to the other side."
The note indicated the jurors all had "sincere, strongly held views.
"We strongly believe we will not reach a unanimous verdict," the note read.
Testimony: Stabbing occurred as Naughton feared for his safety
Trial: Self defense or manslaughter in stabbing of sister's ex-boyfriend
The jury's protracted impasse came on their second day of deliberations, after issuing a partial verdict Tuesday in which Naughton was convicted of the only other charge, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Naughton began sobbing loudly when that guilty verdict was announced late Tuesday afternoon. The outburst forced Neary to order Naughton into the holding cell next to the courtroom while jurors were polled and told they weren't finished deliberating.
On Wednesday morning, jurors once again watched video of the fight and reheard Naughton's testimony about how it started. They sent their first note expressing doubt that they could reach a unanimous verdict just before lunch.
What happened August 2021?
The question of who was the initial aggressor of an Aug. 27, 2021 confrontation is at the heart of the case.
The fatal stabbing occurred during a fight on East Third Street. There had been bad blood between Browne and Naughton's family that summer but Naughton insisted he wasn't looking for a fight that afternoon.
Naughton's claim of self-defense is based on the fact that Browne slashed him in the face at the outset of the fight. Naughton said he could never disengage because he continued fearing for his safety.
The prosecution has focused on the seconds immediately after the initial slashing, when Browne lost his knife, turned to run and Naughton chased him down.
After the partial verdict, Neary ordered Naughton held in the Westchester County jail over Hall's objections.
Hall argued Naughton should have been allowed to remain free on bail, as he had been since shortly after his arrest the day of the stabbing. She told the judge he has never missed a court appearance and has lifelong ties to Mount Vernon so is not a flight risk. And, Tuesday was his anniversary, she said.
But Neary agreed with Assistant District Attorney Brian Bendish that a guilty verdict changed the circumstances because Naughton now knows for certain he faces a possible state prison sentence. The weapon charge carries a maximum prison term of 2⅓ to 7 years, but there is no minimum and probation remains a possibility.
Hall said later she was surprised by the guilty verdict. She said it seemed like a conflict for some jurors not to be sure whether Naughton intended to cause serious physical injury but at the same time find that he intended to possess the knife unlawfully. She said, through his sobs, Naughton was talking about his family and how they need him and that he was a good man.
"He really doesn't deserve this," she said.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Mount Vernon manslaughter trial undecided; jurors give weapon verdict
