GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A mistrial has been declared in the trial of a man accused of killing his best friend in Gwinnett County for the second time.
Tori Lang, 18, was found dead in a Gwinnett County park two years ago. Not long after, DeKalb County police recovered her burned-out car discovered not far from the park.
After many months of investigation, police finally charged her “best friend,” Austin Ford, with murder and assault.
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Earlier this year, a jury could not come to a unanimous verdict on the murder charge and a mistrial was declared.
Channel 2′s Michael Doudna was in the courtroom on Friday afternoon as the second trial also ended in a mistrial.
The jury began deliberating on 3 p.m. on Thursday. Doudna was told early Friday afternoon that the jury had been stuck at an eight to four decision since getting the case.
Jurors watched an hour-long video of police interviewing Ford and then requested to see a model gun that was used as a prop in court.
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Ford’s defense attorneys claim that Lang’s death was a suicide. They admit that Ford lied to police, but that does not make him guilty of murder.
Prosecutors will decide next week if they will try Ford for the murder for a third time.
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