A mistrial was declared on Dec. 12, 2019, in the case of Mark Howerton, who was facing charges for murder, sexual assault and kidnapping of Trinity sophomore Cayley Mandadi in Oct. 2017. Howerton faced a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The mistrial was declared when the jury could not reach a decision after nine hours in deliberation. The vote was 8–4 in favor of a guilty verdict.
“We are obviously very disappointed with the mistrial, but we intend to retry this case and bring justice to Cayley Mandadi,” said Joe Gonzales, Bexar County district attorney, in an email to the Trinitonian.
Typically after a mistrial, the prosecutor dismisses the charges, a plea bargain or agreement is made, or another criminal trial is scheduled.
with reporting by Kathleen Creedon
