Jury fails to reach verdict for second time in Leon Newsome arson-murder case
A jury could not reach a verdict Wednesday for the second time in the case of a 39-year-old Akron man accused of starting a house fire that killed a North Hill couple in October 2022.
Summit County Judge Tammy O'Brien had told jurors to try to reach a decision Tuesday after they initially returned without a verdict. They started deliberations on Monday after a two-and-a-half-day trial.
Leon Newsome retrial: Jury to continue deliberations after returning without verdict
Leon Newsome faced 10 charges in his retrial. That's two counts of murder, six counts of aggravated arson and two counts of felonious assault.
Defense attorney John Greven said he was disappointed in the outcome of the retrial.
"We feel strongly that he is innocent of the crime, and we will do what we can to prove his innocence, no matter how long it takes," Greven said Wednesday.
The first case in October also resulted in a hung jury in which jurors could not reach a unanimous guilty or not guilty decision.
His charges were reduced after the first trial from the initial 16. Four counts of aggravated murder and two counts of murder were dropped.
Prosecuting and defending attorneys will meet again for a status conference at 11:30 a.m. on March 21. Newsome could face a third trial if Summit County prosecutors decide to go forward with another retrial.
"We are discussing all of our options with the family members of the victims," Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich said. "We want to ensure their voices are heard and any decision we make will reflect that."
Bryce Buyakie covers courts and public safety for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @bryce_buyakie.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Retrial of Akron man accused of setting deadly fire ends in hung jury
