Jury in Central Islip murder case to keep deliberating

After meeting nearly 12 hours yesterday, a jury in Riverhead indicated for the third time in two days that it could not reach a verdict in the murder trial of a Central Islip man.

A note from the jury at 9:31 p.m. said it was hopelessly deadlocked. The panel was dismissed at 9:55 p.m. and told to resume deliberating this morning.

"It's a clear indication we have a hung jury," Lavelle Todd's attorney, John LoTurco of Huntington, said as he asked Judge Martin Efman to declare a mistrial. Efman declined.

"I'm going to give them one more try," he said.

Thursday was the jury's third day of deliberations.

Earlier in the day, the panel sent a note indicating it had reached an impasse. At that time, Efman read the jury an Allen charge in which juries are told that their failure to reach a verdict would possibly lead to a new trial involving the same evidence and same witnesses. Allen charges are meant to nudge juries toward reaching a verdict and avoiding a mistrial.

Efman told the jury to continue deliberating.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you make up a very good jury," Efman said.

Todd, 20, is accused of shooting and killing another Central Islip man, Robert Adams, 18, and wounding two other men at a Memorial Day party in 2008 at the Central Islip Recreation Center.

Todd has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and other charges. He testified that he intended to shoot another man in self-defense after the man pulled a semiautomatic weapon from his waistband.