SAN DIEGO -- With the jury proclaiming itself deadlocked, deliberations are continuing Thursday in the trial of Richard Tuite, a man accused of killing 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe.

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Judge Orders Jury Back To Deliberations

Jurors Wednesday sent Judge Frederic Link a note saying they could not agree on blood evidence on Tuite's shirt. Earlier, the jury heard a read-back of testimony regarding blood evidence.

While polling the jury, the judge was told by one of the panelists that more deliberations might be fruitful, so he asked them to continue their work.

The jury foreman said the panel was split 8-4, but it was not disclosed whether jurors were leaning toward guilt or innocence.

Gretchen von Helms, a legal analyst, told 10News that hung juries are not uncommon.

"This came back just as a lot of us thought it would. This was a hung jury -- they came back today and the judge was going to send them home. It was going to be over with today, if juror No. 6 had not said, 'Well, maybe more deliberation would help.' The judge said, 'Get back in there.' And, back in they went," von Helms said.

Tuite, a former transient diagnosed schizophrenic, is accused of stabbing Stephanie Crowe to death in January 1998.

He faces 27 years to life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder and the use of a knife. Prosecutors did not file special circumstance allegations that could have resulted in the death penalty.

The eight-woman, four-man jury got the case last week after nearly three months of testimony. Thursday marks the fifth day of deliberations.

Tuite, 35, is accused of sneaking into the victim's home the night of Jan. 20, 1998, and stabbing her nine times through a thin comforter.

In his rebuttal closing argument, Special Assistant Attorney General David Druliner said Tuite had a knife and was on a "relentless and persistent" search for a friend named "Tracy" when he mistakenly killed the seventh-grader in her bed.

Defense attorney Brad Patton told the jury the prosecution theory that Tuite killed the girl because he was angry at Tracy is based more on speculation than evidence.

Michael Crowe, who originally was charged with two friends in his sister's murder, had a motive to kill her, said Patton, insisting the then-14-year-old hated his younger sister and his family.

Authorities have said traces of the victim's blood was found on clothing that Tuite wore the night of the slaying, but the defense has argued that the clothing could have been contaminated by a police tripod used at the crime scene.