Defendant's girlfriend approaches jurors, prompts mistrial

DALLAS A defendant's girlfriend prompted a mistrial after she showed jurors photos of her boyfriend's son.

Robert Oliver, 41, was on trial in Dallas accused of the 2011 stabbing murder of Eric Franklin.

Attorneys had worked on Monday to pick a jury in the trial.

As the jurors were beginning to assemble, Oliver's girlfriend followed three jurors into the jury room, reported CBS DFW.

Before anyone could question who she was, she began flashing a cellphone picture of Oliver's son. According to one juror, she then said, "I just want you to remember his son."

A fourth juror was told about the incident by fellow jurors.

The woman then fled the courthouse before she could be apprehended.

Judge Fred Tinsley interviewed the jurors before declaring a mistrial, fearing they might be influenced by the incident.

"The court felt that the appearance of impropriety was there and the safest thing to do was to go ahead and grant a mistrial," said defense attorney Mike Howard.

The trial was rescheduled for April 8th, when a new jury will be selected.

"This is something I've never seen," said Howard. "I don't think anybody involved in the case had ever seen anything like this."

Police arrested Oliver in October of 2011 after witnesses say he stabbed the victim in the neck with a butcher's knife. When confronted by police, Oliver allegedly pretended he was his twin brother.