After days of tense deliberations, an Anne Arundel County jury told the court Monday it simply could not agree in the retrial of Marquis Mayo, who was accused in the 2024 kidnapping and killing of Baltimore man David Winchester Jr. An Anne Arundel judge then declared a mistrial, leaving a yearslong, hard-fought case, complete with convictions, plea deals and battles over evidence, suddenly back in limbo.
Judge Calls Mistrial After Hung Jury
According to The Baltimore Banner, Anne Arundel Circuit Court Judge Cathleen M. Vitale ruled the trial a mistrial after jurors notified the court they could not reach a unanimous verdict. The panel had spent about two and a half days deliberating before reporting the deadlock, a classic hung jury that left the case without a clear winner on either side.
How Police Say The Killing Unfolded
Police say Winchester was abducted from Baltimore on March 28, 2024, during an armed home invasion at his mother's southwest Baltimore residence. His body was later found in a wooded area near Wiley H. Bates Middle School on Spa Road in Annapolis, the Annapolis Police Department said.
Detectives relied on surveillance footage, license plate readers, and cellphone data to link several suspects to the abduction and the movements that followed, according to WMAR2News.
Trial History And Earlier Verdict
A jury previously convicted Mayo in February 2025 of felony first-degree murder, kidnapping, and firearm-related offenses. That verdict, and the case's overall schedule, later shifted amid appeals and additional court filings, complicating what was already a high-profile prosecution.
Earlier details about the conviction and investigation were covered in the felony first-degree murder conviction, which traced how the case first made its way through the courts.
Co Defendants, Pleas And Jail Records
One co-defendant, Monae Monik Fincher, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and faces a potential sentence of up to 40 years in prison, according to court records. Another co-defendant, Jamar Davon Fincher, remains held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center as he awaits trial, according to police and detention records.
Legal Next Steps
When a jury hangs and a judge declares a mistrial, that typically does not end the case. Legal references note that the Double Jeopardy Clause does not bar prosecutors from trying again when jurors cannot reach a verdict. If the state decides to move forward, the court would set a new trial date and both sides would get another chance in front of a fresh jury. For readers who want the fine print, Cornell Law's Legal Information Institute lays out the rules in plain language.
What Comes Next For A Case That Has Gripped Two Cities
Prosecutors and defense attorneys will now huddle over their options, while Winchester's family members and officials in both Baltimore and Annapolis wait to see whether the state will press for a third try. For now, the mistrial leaves the core questions unresolved, including who carried the gun, who fired the fatal shots, and whether prosecutors can ever find twelve jurors who agree on the answers.
