Judge cites 'juror misconduct,' declares mistrial for man accused of Wendy Jerome murder

A judge on Wednesday declared a mistrial in the case of Timothy Williams, who is accused of the 1984 murder of Wendy Jerome

Williams was linked to the murder by familial DNA. State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Moran said he had to declare a mistrial because of "juror misconduct."

Visibly irate, Moran chastened the jury for its conduct, without identifying specifics other than some members may have spoken of the case.

Moran noted that each day he tells the jury not to discuss the criminal case. "You did exactly what I told you not to," he said.

District Attorney Sandra Doorley declined to say specifically what was the misconduct, except to say that it arose from more than one juror.

"It's not just one juror," she said. "It was a jury issue that could not be cured." Williams' defense lawyers requested the mistrial after learning of the issue.

The family of Wendy Jerome along with family friends have regularly attended the trial, which was expected to end in coming days. Many were tearful as they left the courtroom Wednesday.

The trial was the first of its kind in New York in that it relied on an alleged familial DNA tie to Williams. The state's highest court, the Court of Appeals, recently allowed the use of the DNA technology in a narrow ruling.

In 2020, police arrested Williams in Florida, where he was then living, after the state conducted a familial DNA search on evidence from the homicide. The state crime lab used the preserved DNA to see if it could develop a familial profile, which allows police to narrow a list of possible suspects.

That process led to Williams as a possible suspect from a genetic family tree. Police were able to surreptitiously collect a DNA sample from Williams in Florida, and the sample was allegedly a match.

District Attorney Doorley said a new trial date will be set. On Wednesday, three law enforcement officials from Florida were in Rochester to testify. A retired Monroe County medical examiner, Dr. Nicholas Forbes, was flown in last week from South Africa to testify about his autopsy on the teenager.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Wendy Jerome murder: Mistrial declared in case of Timothy Williams