OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A mistrial has been declared in the first-degree murder trial of an Oklahoma City man, charged in the 2018 death of his 3-month-old son.
Court records show the jury deadlocked early Saturday on the murder charge against Deion Reed, 23, but found him not guilty of child abuse in the death of Dexter Reed.
Defense attorney Joi Miskel told The Oklahoman that she appreciates “the jury’s hard work,” while prosecutors said they will re-try Reed on the murder charge.
Dr. Ryan Brown testified that the child suffered “bruising all over his skull,” and compared the severity of the injuries to those caused by car accidents, saying they were likely the result of child abuse.
Reed, who didn’t testify, was alone with the child while the boy’s mother was at work, but told a police dispatcher he was feeding the baby when “he started choking and squirming. “I dropped him and I picked him up.”
Prosecutors said Reed later told police he was frustrated that the child was crying and would not settle down and at one point “ran (the boy’s) head into the door.”
