Jury deadlocks in Hagerstown murder case

After a jury was deadlocked for hours Wednesday, Washington County Circuit Court Judge Dana Moylan Wright declared a mistrial in the 2020 shooting death of Hagerstown resident Jason Tyrone Christie.

Wright ordered defendant James Edward Williams, 40, continued to be held without bond. Given the late hour that the mistrial was declared, shortly before 9:30 p.m., Wright said the defense could request a bond review hearing and everyone would be more prepared.

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Assistant State's Attorney Beverly Plutnick, lead prosecutor on the case, said she anticipated the state would retry the case. But it was late and a final decision would need to be made regarding retrying Williams.

Lead defense attorney David Harbin thanked the jury for its service. Because there could be another trial, Harbin did not want to provide further comment other than to say, "Mr. Williams is innocent of these charges."

Williams was accused of shooting Christie, 27, on Nov. 1, 2020, in a neighborhood near Fairgrounds Park.

Christie was found by a city resident in an alley off the 300 block of North Mulberry Street that afternoon.

He later died at Meritus Medical Center east of Hagerstown, according to charging documents.

Dying declaration noted in charging documents

In a dying declaration to a witness and police, Christie said it was a man named “Ice” who had shot him. Charging documents note the declarations said Ice was from Brooklyn and that Williams advised authorities he was from Brooklyn when providing information for his booking paperwork.

Williams was not arrested at the scene but by using an Infiniti that police tracked using public and private surveillance cameras.

A witness who lived near the crime scene testified he heard a commotion while on his back porch and went to the alley to see what had occurred. He heard a car door slam and an Infiniti with tinted windows "flying by." Down the alley, he saw what first appeared to be a blanket, but then saw a man stand up and walk, staggering side to side, toward Fairgrounds Park.

The witness said he called 911 and the man told the witness he'd been shot.

According to charging documents, Christie told police and the witness the person who shot him was in a purple Infiniti. The witness, according to court documents, described the two-door car he saw leaving the area as a dark blue or purple Infiniti.

Using surveillance video, police tracked a car that fit the description through streets, with it last tracked southbound on Frederick Street near Memorial Boulevard, according to court records. Shortly later, police found a dark blue Infiniti matching the suspect's vehicle description parked in the 600 block of Knightsbridge Drive. Police noted in charging documents that the car had a metallic finish that made it appear purple in certain light.

The car was registered to Williams with an address in the 1000 block of Brinker Drive, a few hundred yards from where the car was found, court records state.

That neighborhood is south of East Wilson Boulevard.

When Williams was charged in November 2020, the address on his charging documents was near Martinsburg, W.Va.

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Williams was taken into custody during a surveillance operation after police saw a man exit the Brinker Drive address, unlock the car with a key fob and enter the passenger side of the car, court records state.

Two guns were found in the Brinker Drive home, including a .22-caliber Smith and Wesson, court records state.

Plutnick said in an interview Wednesday a .22 caliber gun was used to shoot Christie. But analysis by the Maryland State Police lab was inconclusive about whether the Smith and Wesson was the murder weapon.

A cellphone found in the Infiniti was analyzed and identified as Christie’s, Plutnick said. The phone had selfie-style photos of the victim as well as communications with Williams’ phone the day of the shooting, she said.

Williams, dressed in a dark charcoal suit, sat between his defense attorneys Wednesday, occasionally conferring with them. During jury deliberations, he would return to the courthouse lockup.

Jury asks to rewatch videos

After almost a two-day trial, the jury began deliberations around 2:45 p.m. Wednesday and quickly sent a note out to the judge asking to rewatch video showing the Infiniti the suspect was believed to be traveling in after the shooting, as well as a map of the city and questions about one of the firearms.

The jury was shown the video, periodically asking that it be stopped at various points including where the driver would be most visible through the windshield.

Regarding their other questions, jury members were informed they would have to rely upon their memories regarding evidence presented during the trial.

Later the jury requested to rehear the 911 call by the witness and to rewatch video from a police officer’s body cam.

The body cam footage showed an officer arriving in the alley to find a witness as well as a wounded Christie lying in the alley. Christie could be heard saying “His street name is Ice."

On the recording of the 911 call made by a resident who lives near the crime scene, the witness relayed from the victim that the shooter had bought weed from him and then “killed him.”

The jury later asked to see the box containing the gun.

Jury starts saying it's at an impasse

After deliberating for about three hours, the jury sent a note to the judge that they were at an impasse on the first nine counts, including the most serious charges of murder, assault and use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime. The judge said the note stated the jury had reached a decision on a felony charge of possessing a regulated firearm after being convicted of a violent crime as well as decisions on two misdemeanor charges of illegal possession of ammunition and a regulated firearm.

Assistant State’s Attorney Christopher McCormack asked that the jury continue deliberating given they had been out three hours and this was their first note indicating an impasse.

The defense agreed, asking for menus to be given to the jury.

While the food was being ordered from a downtown restaurant, jury members got 10 minutes to make phone calls and stretch their legs before resuming deliberations.

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Around 9:12 p.m., the jury sent another note — the third note stating they were hung on nine of the 12 charges.

This note, which the judge also read, stated the jury had come to a conclusion after thoughtful deliberation. With multiple jurors on opposing sides, jury members concluded further deliberation would not change their decision. The jury also noted that it understood the ramifications of that and did not take it lightly.

There was some discussion amongst the judge and attorneys about whether to ask the jury to return in the morning and resume deliberations after having a chance to get some sleep.

Plutnick said normally she'd request the jury return the next day, but she'd "never heard a jury be this emphatic," in a note, that it was on the fence.

Harbin said he believed the jury was in a "genuine deadlock."

Wright ultimately declared a mistrial, noting she had heard raised voices from the jury room but not specifically what was said.

The judge mentioned the multiple jury notes regarding an impasse. She also said an "emphatic knock" on the jury room door announcing the last note was a "clear expression of frustration" on the jury's part.

Wright said she was convinced further deliberations would not be productive and that if the jury continued deliberations and there was a change of opinion, she would be concerned it would be from the result of "inherent pressures of the situation."

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Judge declares mistrial in 2020 shooting of Hagerstown man