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D.A. Says He'll Retry the Hale Case

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RALEIGH — District Attorney Colon Willoughby tells WRAL he will retry Kawame Mays for the death of Raleigh Detective Paul Hale. That comment came Friday after a Wake County judge declared a mistrial in the case.

Despite the fact the jury was deadlocked 11-1 on Hale's death, they were able to come to a unanimous decision in the death of Michael Walker. The jury found Kawame Mays, a drug dealer from Queens, N.Y., guilty of first degree murder in Walker's death.

Listen toauorReal Audiofile to hear Judge Donald Stephens read the verdict in the murder of Paul Hale. "In the matter of Paul Hale...there is no verdict indicated for that is the case that the jury has indicated that they were unable to arrive at a unanimous decision. The court therefore withdraws this case from the jury and declares that this matter will be mistried. The court finds particularly and specifically based upon the responses of the jurors that they are hopelessly deadlocked and further deliberations will not result in a unanimous verdict in the case."

Listen toauorReal Audiofile to hear Judge Donald Stephens read the verdict in the murder of Michael Walker. "With reguard to the matter involving the death of Michael Walker...it was the unanimous decision of the jury that the defendant Kawame Lloyd Mays is guilty of murder in the first degree of Michael Walker...under the felony murder rule."

The judge then asked the jurors to raise their hand to indicate if that was the correct verdict.

"Let the record show that all 12 jurors so indicated," Judge Donald Stephens said.

The jury voted unanimously in the Walker case, but was deadlocked with a vote of 11-1 in the Hale murder.

Many have expressed surprise that the jury took so long in its deliberations. At 2 p.m. Friday, it had been eight hours, and the jury asked to see some of the evidence again, and hear some testimony again.

The wait was visibly difficult for family members of the victims. Hale's relatives became emotional in the Raleigh courtroom.

The jury decided that Mays is guilty of first degree murder on one count. Therefore, Kawame Mays faces the possibility of a death sentence. Court will convene on Tuesday, following the Memorial Day holiday, to begin the sentencing phase of the trial. andKerrie Hudzinski

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