The Michael Dunn Mistrial: What Now?

Last night, the trial of Michael Dunn — who shot and killed a black teenager named Jordan Davis in Jacksonville during an argument over loud rap music — ended in a mistrial. So, what now?

A mistrial?

Dunn was convicted on three counts of second-degree attempted murder for shooting at, but not killing, the three other boys in the Dodge Durango with Davis. He was also found guilty of "shooting or throwing a deadly weapon," a felony. The jury could not agree on a decision regarding the charge of first degree murder in the death of Davis. They also were unable to decide on a number of lesser charges included in jury instructions: second- and third-degree murder as well as manslaughter.


Will Dunn walk free?

No: because of the three attempted murder convictions he will be going to jail for a long time. According to the Florida state attorney's office, each conviction of attempted murder carries a minimum sentence of 20 years. Those sentences must also be served consecutively, as opposed to concurrently. The felony conviction for "shooting or throwing a deadly weapon" can also be punishable by up to 15 years.

So, we're talking 60 years at a minimum?

It appears so. Dunn is almost 50 years old and will likely die in prison. His attorney Cory Strolla summed the convictions up like this: "You are looking basically at life in prison. At 47 years old, that's a life sentence regardless of count one."

When will we find out exactly the length of Davis' sentence?

Dunn will be sentenced in March.

What about justice for Jordan Davis?

Angela Corey, the state attorney for Jacksonville, said immediately after the trial that her office will re-try Dunn on the first-degree murder charge. She also expressed hope that the jury on this trial would explain why they were unable to convict Dunn on the first-degree murder charge so her office can better tailor its case for the subsequent trial.

The jury: are we talking all white people here?

There were 12 jurors: four white men, four white women, two black women, a Latino man and an Asian-American woman. But it only took one of those 12 to hold up the first-degree murder conviction.

Did Davis' parents have anything to say after the trial?

Perhaps thinking of George Zimmerman — who was prosecuted by the same attorney's office that handled the Davis case — skating free, Davis' parents seemed to express a begrudged relief. "It has been a long, long road, and we're so very happy to have a little bit of closure," said his mother Lucia McBath. A bit more closure, one hopes, is further down that road.

[image via AP]