Published: 21:22 BST, 25 August 2026 | Updated: 21:27 BST, 25 August 2026
A criminal homicide case in Pennsylvania was ruled a mistrial after a juror smoked weed during a lunch break and refused to own up to it.
Safon Gump, 25, stood trial over the killing of Gregory Prince, 38, who was gunned down in 2024, allegedly during a dispute over a damaged car.
Gump's defense attorney said he was forced to request a mistrial after the identity of the weed-smoking juror could not be determined.
'I can't in good conscience move forward in a homicide trial where my client's life is on the line… and somebody's not being truthful,' Owen Seman, Gump's defense attorney, told TribLive on Wednesday.
'We really did try to work through this thing and try to fix it.'
The trial saw all 12 jurors and two alternates individually questioned on the first day of trial after Common Pleas Judge Edward J Borkowski could smell marijuana during lunch.
Jury selection commenced on Monday and concluded by Tuesday morning, with opening statements beginning at 11.30am, the outlet reported.
After prosecutors brought two witnesses to the stand, the courtroom broke for lunch break.
Jurors were required to wait in the jury room on the fifth floor to avoid seeing the defendant in handcuffs, a court rule to avoid prejudice among the jury, TribLive reported.
Safon Gump, 25 (pictured), stood trial over the murder of Gregory Prince, 38, who was gunned down in 2024 when his defense attorney said he was forced to request a mistrial after a juror was caught smoking weed
Owen Seman, Gump's defense attorney (pictured), said all twelve jurors were individually questioned on the first day of trial after Common Pleas Judge Edward J Borkowski could smell marijuana during lunch
Judge Borkowski went to excuse the group when he was 'immediately hit with the smell of marijuana,' Seman told the outlet.
According to the attorney, one of the jurors looked to the judge and said, 'it wasn't me.'
After an hour's lunch break, the prosecution and defense attorneys returned to the courtroom and Judge Borkowski called them into chambers to discuss the matter.
