Jury Fails To Reach Verdict In 2010 Death Of 13-Year-Old Girl On PCH
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A hung jury was declared on Tuesday in the trial of a man charged in the death of 13-year-old girl in 2010.
Jurors were unable to agree on a verdict for Sina Khankhanian, 27, who is charged with the second-degree murder of Emily Shane when the teen was struck and killed on Pacific Coast Highway near Point Dume on Easter weekend nearly two years ago.
"In my thinking, he was a very calculated person," said juror #3, who asked not to be named. "He was very aware of what he was doing, from the beginning to the end."
This juror believed Khankhanian meant to kill Shane.
Shane's parents said justice will only be served by a murder conviction.
"We'll do whatever we have to do to get justice for our daughter," Shane's mother said.
Witnesses said Khankhanian was despondent and suicidal leading up to April 3, 2010, when he drove his blue 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer off a cliff with the alleged intent of ending his life.
Defense attorneys argued that their client suffers from several mental disorders, including autism, and that he was unaware that night that his actions would end up taking a life.
Khankhanian had been seen driving erratically at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour and reportedly told emergency personnel that he had intentionally crashed his car.
An accident report filed by Los Angeles County Sheriff's investigators said no skid marks had been found at the scene, indicating the driver made no attempt to slow down or stop the vehicle.
