Camarena Mistrial Motion May Be Heard in October

A federal prosecutor said Friday he anticipated that a hearing on a defense motion for a mistrial in the recently concluded Enrique Camarena murder case would be held in October. Lawyers for four defendants convicted in the Los Angeles trial filed for a mistrial last week because of alleged juror misconduct.

Juror William R. Parris of Lancaster had signed a sworn declaration alleging that jurors frequently ignored U.S. District Judge Edward Rafeedie’s instructions to avoid news accounts of the trial and that a federal marshal urged the panel to return a quick verdict on one of the defendants. The declaration alleged that during deliberations jurors skimmed newspaper headlines about the case on a daily basis and discussed information they had heard on television about the trial.