A Newport News Circuit Court jury deadlocked Friday over whether a Newport News mailman murdered a colleague’s husband earlier this year — causing a judge to declare a hung jury and mistrial in the case.
A new trial will be held early next year.
But the 12-member jury found the defendant, Jeremy Todd Pettway, 41, guilty of one of the charges he faced — conspiracy to commit murder — in the April 7 slaying of 39-year-old Salahud-Din “Sal” Ibn Shabazz just inside the doorway of his Newport News home.
That is punishable by up to 10 years behind bars.
After three days of evidence, the jury deliberated for about six hours between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning before telling the judge they couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict on three charges: First-degree-murder, using a firearm in a felony and shooting into an occupied dwelling.