Mistrial declared in case of ex-Whittier officer charged with shooting unarmed man in back
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A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in a case against a former Whittier detective accused of multiple counts of assault.Jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict on charges that stemmed from a 2020 incident in which the officer, Salvador Murillo, opened fire on an unarmed fleeing suspect, striking the man twice in the back and severing his spine.Murillo, 44, defended himself in court last week, denying that he had violated any law during the shooting.
The jury was split 7-5 for a guilty verdict on two assault with a deadly weapon charges, and 8-4 toward guilty on another two charges of unlawful use of force with a deadly weapon by a peace officer.Murillo stood stone-faced at attention as the judge addressed the court, but seemed relieved once the deadlock was announced.
“I think it came down to people’s kind of fundamental feelings about law enforcement,” said Murillo’s attorney, Vicki Podberesky.“It’s about whether you can appreciate the fact that a law enforcement officer is in a dangerous position and has to make a split-second decision.” Prosecutors declined to comment outside the courtroom.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a question about whether they would seek to retry Murillo.Jurors deliberated for three days, first indicating they might be at an impasse Monday morning.
A note sent to L.A.County Superior Court Judge George Lomeli indicated they had already cast two ballots and most jurors seemed immovable, but Lomeli ordered them to debate further.
Murillo and his partner, Cynthia Lopez, were working as part of an undercover unit in April 2020 when they came upon a white Mitsubishi that had been linked to a robbery at a local Walmart.The detective called for a marked patrol vehicle to stop the car, according to Podberesky.While Nicholas Carrillo happened to be driving the Mi...