Mistrial declared for Williams sister murder suspect

A judge declared a mistrial in the case of one of two men charged with the murder of the half-sister of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.

The jury in Compton, California, reported it was 9-3 in favour of acquitting Aaron Hammer, said district attorney’s office spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons.

Hammer, 25, was accused of shooting at Yetunde Price with a .22-calibre handgun. Prosecutors said the shot that killed Price was not from that weapon, but state law allows a murder charge for taking part in a crime in which a person is killed by someone else.

The district attorney’s office will announce whether it will seek a retrial on November 22.

Price, 31, was shot in the back of the head while riding through Compton in a vehicle driven by her boyfriend, who was not injured.

Price, a mother of three and a beauty shop owner, was a personal assistant to her sisters, who began their tennis careers in Compton.

Hammer was tried alongside alleged gang member Robert Maxfield, who is accused of firing the shots that killed Price.

There were two juries formed and the jury trying Maxfield will continue deliberations on Monday.

Gibbons said the district attorney’s office would not comment on the mistrial until after the other case was decided.