FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.– Jurors say they are deadlocked in the Florida DUI manslaughter case against former major league baseball player Jim Leyritz.
After signaling the stalemate, a judge ordered them to return Saturday to try to reach a verdict. If they can’t, a mistrial would be declared. Prosecutors say there would be a second trial.
Prosecutors say Leyritz was driving drunk in December 2007 when he ran a red light and crashed into a vehicle driven by 30-year-old Fredia Ann Veitch, who was killed. The defense claims Veitch ran the light and that blood tests of Leyritz were unreliable.
Leyritz faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. He played for several teams but is remembered for a dramatic 1996 World Series home run for the New York Yankees.