Mistrial Declared In Former Tulsa Cop's Second Murder Trial

A Tulsa County judge declared a mistrial for a second time in a murder trial for Shannon Kepler. 

Kepler is the former Tulsa Police officer charged with shooting and killing his daughter's boyfriend in 2014.

Jurors deliberated for 8 and a half hours, before the judge declared the mistrial early Saturday.  The court said the jurors could not unanimously agree on a guilty verdict. 

The question that this entire trial boils down to is, 'Did Kepler act in self defense?'  The prosecutors say 10 jurors believed Kepler was guilty, but two didn't.

A judge declared a mistrial in November in the first trial for the same reason. That time the jury was deadlocked 11 to 1 guilty.

"I don't have any idea what went on inside the jury room, obviously, at this point we've had two juries look at this case across 24 jurors, 21 of them have said Mr. Kepler is guilty of murder in the first degree. We just need a unanimous 12 to get together at one time to make that decision," said Assistant Tulsa County DA, Kevin Gray.

"It's not a strong case from the state's point-of-view, I would suggest and getting unanimous verdict, I think is going to be difficult with a police officer and I think that I'm committed, my client's committed and we will do this as long as we have to do it," said Kepler's defense attorney, Richard O'Carroll.
 
A status conference is scheduled for February 22nd, where the state and defense could start the trial process over for a third time.