GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - After six days of deliberations, a Kent County jury Wednesday morning told the judge it was unable to reach a verdict in the murder trial of Lovily Johnson, a Wyoming mother accused in the neglect death of her son.
Johnson is accused of felony murder and first-degree child abuse in the July, 2017 death of her six-month-old son, who weighed only 12 pounds when he arrived at a Grand Rapids hospital showing signs of decomposition.
Investigators say Johnson left the child strapped in a car seat in an attic bedroom for 32 hours. Kent County Circuit Court Judge Mark Trusock thanked the jury for their service and said a new trial date will be set.
There had been some progress in deliberations as of Tuesday afternoon, which at that point had lasted more than 26 hours. Jurors said they had reached a decision on one of the two counts, but Wednesday morning, the jury foreperson said that was no longer the case.
They were instructed on felony murder, a mandatory life offense, as well as the lesser included charge of second-degree murder, which is punishable by a term of years up to life. The other count was first-degree child abuse. Jurors also had the option of finding Johnson guilty of second-degree child abuse.
During closing statements last week, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker asked jurors to find Johnson guilty, saying the child was neglected over a long period of time.
Defense attorney Jonathan Schildgen called Noah Johnson’s death a tragedy, but said it did not constitute a murder.
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