After days of testimony and over five hours of deliberations, a mistrial has been declared in the trial of Norman Waker, charged in a deadly shooting at Pleasant View Gardens senior living facility, reports CBS News. Waker, a 66-year-old wheelchair user, faced charges of first- and second-degree murder and attempted murder stemming from an incident earlier this year.
According to courtroom accounts, Waker allegedly shot and killed 79-year-old Clyde Barnes and fired at Vance Winston Bey, 73, following a dispute over $80 worth of cigarettes. As deliberated only for 5 1/2 hours on Friday, a retrial is now expected, with Waker's attorney suggesting a new court date is likely within the next three months, but emphasized that "nothing is certain."
The defense presented a plea of imperfect or partial self-defense, arguing Waker's past hardships and conveying feelings of being threatened during the shooting. In a statement shared by WBALTV, defense attorney Matthew Connell implored the jury to consider Waker's perspective, stating: "I'm not asking for some kind of charity verdict. Imperfect self-defense is the proper verdict when you compare the law to the facts in this case as presented."
The prosecution, however, highlighted inconsistencies in Waker's statements and referenced DNA evidence and blood found on Waker's clothing. In the tense moments after the shooting, a sea of police swarmed the scene searching floor to floor for a suspect described as a man using a wheelchair, as Waker attempted, unsuccessfully, to flee from the scene in his wheelchair. Both Barnes and Bey, the latter speaking to jurors last Wednesday, were purportedly known to Waker from their time in jail together.
