Third mistrial declared for East High student murder suspect
The third trial of a man accused of gunning down a Youngstown teen in 2009 has been declared a mistrial for a third time.
The third trial of a man accused of gunning down a Youngstown teen in 2009 has been declared a mistrial for the third time.
Judge Maureen Sweeney made the ruling just one day after jury selection was slated to get underway in the case of Paul Brown.
Authorities say the mistrial was declared because Brown did not get along with his attorney.
Brown, 40, is charged with murder and weapons violations for the shooting death of 17-year-old Ashten Jackson, whose bullet-riddled body was found on the city's East Side in 2009.
The East High School student had been reported missing by friends and family.
Two other mistrials were declared in the case in 2012 and in 2015 over legal issues.
An appeals court refused to dismiss the case after Brown's attorney argued that he could not be tried twice on the same charges.
Brown, who has been in the Mahoning County Jail since his arrest in 2010, could face a sentence of life in prison if convicted.
