Unusual anonymous jury deadlocks in New Jersey murder trial

NEWARK, New Jersey (Reuters) - A mistrial was declared on Wednesday in the murder trial of a lawyer and former federal prosecutor accused of encouraging drug dealers to kill a confidential witness who could testify against his client.

The unusual anonymous jury declared itself deadlocked after five days of deliberations in the federal trial of Paul Bergrin.

Bergrin, 55, was charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the killing of Kemo Deshawn McCray, who was gunned down on a Newark street in 2004.

During the trial, the jury of seven men and five women remained anonymous after prosecutors cited safety concerns. Bergrin was ordered to defend himself at a distance from the jury and the witness box, with the threat of an electric shock from a monitoring ankle bracelet if he stepped any closer.

"We have concluded, regrettably, that we are at an impasse," the jury wrote in a note read aloud by U.S. District Judge William Martini, who then granted a defense request for a mistrial.

In a statement, the prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, said: "While it is disappointing the jury was unable to reach a verdict, we are fully prepared for the next trial."

But whether the government retries Bergrin on the murder charges, he faces at least one more trial, because Martini separated the murder charges from a 33-count indictment.

Among the remaining counts are allegations that Bergrin and others conspired to murder someone dubbed "Junior the Panamanian," a witness against Bergrin's client, an alleged drug trafficker.

Unlike the present case, the government has audio recordings from 2008 capturing Bergrin's conversations with a confidential informant the government dubbed "the Hitman." During those talks, the government said, Bergrin discussed killing the witness and told the hitman to make the murder look like a home invasion.

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Greg McCune)

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