They found him not guilty of murder but this afternoon a jury was unable to reach a verdict on the manslaughter charge against Julio Che. Che was charged for killing Alberto Serrano on October 29th 2006. The murder scene was a home in Ladyville located between miles 9 and 10 on the Northern Highway where Serrano was stabbed to death.
The main witness against Che was Ramiro Vasquez who testified that he saw the two men arguing, and later saw Che push something into Serrano's chest. But Che gave an un-sworn statement from the dock and denied he was at the crime scene when the killing occurred.
After deliberating for three hours, the jury told presiding Judge Adolph Lucas they were unable to reach a unanimous or majority verdict on the manslaughter charge. Che can be retried for manslaughter. He went back to jail where he'll have to apply for bail.
