I've been told the jury's reached a verdict.
Is that correct?
NARRATOR: Next, we head to Batesville,
Mississippi for the verdict in the trial of Quinton Tellis.
The 29-year-old is charged with capital murder
in the death of Jessica Chambers.
Chambers, who was only 19, was doused with gasoline
and set on fire in her own car.
Tellis admitted being with Chambers
the night she was killed and claimed
they had a sexual relationship, but he denied
any involvement in her death.
On the night she was killed, Chambers
can be seen on surveillance footage at a gas station.
[door chime]
About 90 minutes later, firefighters responded
to a call about a burning car.
When they arrived, they found Chambers still alive,
with burns covering 98% of her body.
First responders testified that before being
airlifted to the hospital, she told them
her attacker was named Eric.
She died the next day.
Police investigated the Eric lead
but found no suspects with that name.
Instead, using cell phone records,
they were able to place Tellis and Chambers together
just before the attack, and he was
charged with capital murder.
He pled not guilty, and his attorney
focused on the naming of Eric to sow doubt in the state's case.
All right.
Would you bring the jury in, please?
NARRATOR: The trial lasted six days.
And the jury deliberated for 10 hours
before reaching a verdict.
If convicted, Tellis could be sentenced to death.
The trial judge is Gerald Chatham.
I've been told the jurors reached a verdict.
Is that correct?
I don't need to know what your verdict was,
but I just need to know that all 12
jurors agree on that verdict.
Yes, sir.
We did.
Would you hand the verdict, please, to the court--
to the clerk?
Excuse me.
Sir?
All 12-- the verdict has to be unanimous.
So all 12 did not agree on the verdict?
Is that what you're telling me, sir?
NARRATOR: The courtroom is stunned
because the jury must unanimously
agree on the verdict, be it guilty or not guilty.
So the jury's ordered back to their room
to discuss the case further.
After 20 agonizing minutes, the jury returns.
Once again, I have been informed that the jury
has reached a verdict.
Is that correct?
I need to ask you, is it unanimous?
Yes, Your Honor.
Has that verdict been recorded on a separate sheet of paper?
Yes, Your Honor.
Would you pass it to the clerk, please?
Would the clerk please read the verdict?
We, the jury, find the defendant,
Quinton Verdell Tellis, not guilty of capital murder.
NARRATOR: As family members on both sides
try to contain their emotions, the prosecution
asked that each juror be polled individually, just to be sure.
This trial is not over yet.
I'm going to ask each one of you if that is your verdict.
All right.
Ms. [bleep].
Mr. [bleep].
NARRATOR: Wait, what?
Confusion remains.
Mr. [bleep].
NARRATOR: It seems that although the jury is claiming
its verdict is not guilty, nearly half of them
are saying the opposite.
And people in the courtroom are taking notice of the situation.
So is the prosecutor.
NARRATOR: The judge polls the individual jurors a second time
and gets the same results.
Mr. [bleep].
All right.
Mr. [bleep].
NARRATOR: It is now clear there is an obvious miscommunication
between judge and jury.
I don't know why the verdict was recorded as it was.
NARRATOR: Upon further investigation,
it was determined the jury confusion stemmed
from their instructions, which incorrectly
stated a unanimous vote was needed
for a guilty verdict only.
But the jury had to be unanimous for either verdict.
So the judge reiterates the verdict must be unanimous
and sends them back a third time to work
through their differences.
I'm going to ask you to go back, consider your verdict,
deliberate, and please record your verdict accurately.
All right?
NARRATOR: Both the defendant and victim's family
can only wait, frustrated, as the judge and jury
attempt to work out the issue.
After further deliberation of over an hour,
the jury is unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
The judge has no choice but to declare a mistrial.
Tellis is retried a year later with the same conclusion,
a split jury resulting in another mistrial.
Prosecutors may decide to try Tellis a third time.
He's currently sitting in a Louisiana state
prison for an unrelated crime.