TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — A jury wasn't able to reach a verdict Friday in a rape case involving a former Tallahassee police officer.
A judge declared a second mistrial in the case of Vincent Crump. They deliberated for seven hours about the fate of this man.
BREAKING: The jury in the retrial of Vincent Crump has announced it cannot reach a verdict. The judge is declaring a mistrial and will not urge the jurors to continue deliberating. @abc27
— Stephen Jiwanmall (@SteveJiwanmall) April 12, 2019
Crump was comforted by his attorneys as his case ended in another hung jury.
He's accused of raping a woman. We're choosing not to use her name or show her face.
Crump pulled her over during a traffic stop last year. The two had sex, but the question is whether or not it was consensual.
"No, I wasn't happy. It was very fake. I was very nervous, so obviously, I can't tell people how I feel," said the alleged victim during her testimony Wednesday. "So, I had to play along with it, because I was scared. He's intimidating. He's this big giant dude right in front of me, so I didn't know what to do."
The woman sat on the stand for two hours. Crump didn't testify. His family issued a statement after the latest ruling.
“A second trial has ended in a hung jury over the very same question about what constitutes acquiescence versus consent. This underscores the fact that the law used to charge Vincent is unconstitutionally vague and ambiguous. Clearly, there is no convincing evidence to support a conviction against him. We, his family, remain convinced of his innocence and hope the State Attorney will not waste community resources pursuing a third trial.”
We reached out to both sides after the ruling.
The prosecution said it didn't want to comment, because the case is still pending. Meanwhile, Vincent Crump went into a private room with his attorneys. They also weren't available for comment.
Both sides will be back in court Monday. The judge has urged them to come to some sort of agreement to avoid a third trial.
