San Francisco Prosecutors To Seek Retrial After Mistrial In PlayStation Murder Case
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Prosecutors say they plan to seek a retrial after a jury deadlocked over murder and robbery charges against a San Francisco man accused of fatally shooting another man over a PlayStation 4 game console.
Ronnie Collins, 24, was charged with murder, attempted robbery and resisting arrest in the Dec. 1, 2013 death of 22-year-old Ikenna Uwakah.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Rochelle East declared a mistrial Wednesday after the jury deadlocked 6-6 on all three counts.
Collins is alleged to have shot Uwakah near the Youngblood-Coleman Playground at Mendell Street and Galvez Avenue around 3:30 p.m. as Uwakah sat in his car with his girlfriend, Rachael Pecota.
They met after Collins arranged over the social media app Instagram to buy a PS4 from Pecota.
Prosecutors argued the shooting constitutes first-degree murder because it occurred during an attempted robbery.
Collins has not denied shooting Uwakah, but defense attorneys argued during the trial that he was trying to buy a PlayStation, not
attempting a robbery.
The defense attorneys described the shooting as a misunderstanding, saying Collins thought Uwakah was armed and acting suspiciously, and fired when he thought he saw the other man reach for a gun.
Both sides are expected to be back in court Thursday morning at 9 a.m. to set a new trial date.