Mistrial declared in murder case

The jury in the Shannon Dabbs murder and arson trial was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, with 10 jurors favoring conviction and two undecided. 

Judge Lamont Berecz declared a mistrial on Jan. 23, although the jury could have continued deliberating for two more days. 

“Was it a situation where they just all got tired of trying to convince those two people, I don’t know,” said Boundary County Prosecuting Attorney Andrakay Pluid. “They said they weren’t going to reach a verdict, and we have to take their word for it.” 

The prosecuting and defense counsels will meet with Berecz on Feb. 6 in a status conference to discuss how to proceed. The state can decide whether to retry the case, or the two sides can negotiate a plea deal. Pluid said no deal has been discussed, and if a resolution isn’t reached next month, a new trial date will be set. 

The jury was tasked with deciding whether the state proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Shannon Dabbs maliciously shot and killed his wife, Susan, before setting fire to their house. A conviction could result in a life sentence. 

“Any jury trial, no matter what the charges are, is a responsibility that’s going to weigh on the jurors, particularly when they know that somebody can receive consequences, or not receive consequences,” Pluid said.  

The trial was largely driven by expert witness testimony, which provided scientific explanations for scenarios presented both by the state and the defense. The jury had to assess the credibility of the witnesses’ opinions, as no empirical evidence was presented in the hours leading up to the alleged incident.