A Spokane jury could not reach a decision Thursday whether or not Christian Robinson had acted in self-defense when he shot and killed a man in February 2020.
After days of deliberations, a jury told the Spokane County Superior Court they would not be able to reach a unanimous decision even with more time to review evidence.
Deputy Prosecutor Dale Nagy said he could not comment on whether the state would retry the case.
Robinson was accused of the second-degree murder of Christian Salazar. Robinson was 21 when he confronted Salazar in the parking lot of a McDonald’s restaurant on Feb. 3, 2020 over missing cellphones.
Surveillance video shown in court showed the suspect and his friend pulling up behind Salazar’s car, then Robinson’s friend opening the door of Salazar’s car. The men believed Salazar’s friends took Robinson’s phone, Robinson said to the jury.
Robinson testified earlier this week he thought Salazar and his friends had weapons in the car, so he struck Salazar several times in the head with his loaded gun. Robinson told the jury he did not intend to shoot Salazar and did not know if his finger was on the trigger. Police found no weapons in the car.
