Jury deadlocks in 2nd murder trial of ex-editor
Web Producer: Mekita Rivas
BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (AP) - The retrial of a former firearms magazine editor charged in the shooting death of an unarmed neighbor has ended in a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a verdict.
The Mohave Valley Daily News reports that a mistrial has now been declared at each of Richard Erick Venola's two murder trials.
He is charged with second-degree murder in the May 2 shooting death of 39-year-old James Patrick O'Neill.
Venola is a former editor of Guns & Ammo magazine.
His first trial ended in a mistrial after jurors couldn't reach a verdict.
Prosecutors say Venola and O'Neill were both extremely drunk and argued before the shooting.
Venola's attorney says Venola shot O'Neill in self-defense because Venola believed O'Neill was going to get a gun to shoot him.
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