Local News in Brief : Mistrial Declared in Sarno Murder Case
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With jurors deadlocked 8 to 4 in favor of conviction, a mistrial was declared Thursday in the trial of an ex-convict accused of killing Los Feliz restaurateur Alberto Sarno during an attempted holdup.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge J. D. Smith declared the mistrial after jurors, who had deliberated for three days, sent the judge two notes saying they were deadlocked.
“Our inability to reach a verdict is because of individual interpretations of the evidence,” the second note stated.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Sterling Norris said he will retry Ralph Mora, 33, on the charges of murder and attempted robbery. Smith scheduled an Oct. 14 hearing to select a new trial date.
Mora, a one-time drug addict who faces a possible death penalty, remains in custody.
Sarno, 59, who owned the Caffe Dell’Opera restaurant, was shot to death outside his gated home sometime after midnight Oct. 20.
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