Mistrial declared in retrial

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — A mistrial was declared Tuesday in the retrial of four women accused of shoplifting clothes and then striking and killing a man with a car as they fled the parking lot of a shopping mall.

The mistrial was declared because a juror researched the case on the Internet, said Dee Gibson, bailiff for Clark County Common Pleas Court Judge Douglas Rastatter.

The trial, which began last week, has been reset for Dec. 3.

Messages seeking comment were left for Clark County Prosecutor Stephen Schumaker.

John Deselem, 49, of Springfield, was struck by the vehicle as he stepped off a sidewalk outside the Upper Valley Mall on June 7, 2005. The women, all of Columbus, were later convicted of murder, aggravated robbery, theft and involuntary manslaughter.

Renada Manns, 26, who was driving the car, was sentenced to 25 years to life. Alicia McAlmont, 23, was sentenced to 18 years to life. Mahogany Patterson and Toneisha Gunnell, both 22, were sentenced to 15 years to life.

The guilty verdict in the original trial was overturned by the 2nd District Court of Appeals because of the dismissal of a potential black juror. The victim was white, and the defendants are black.