SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A judge declared a mistrial Friday in the trial of five current and former Stanford University students charged after pro-Palestinian protests in 2024, when they barricaded themselves inside the university president and provost executive offices.
The jury voted 8 to 4 to convict on a felony charge of vandalism and 9 to 3 to convict on a felony charge of conspiracy to trespass. After deliberating for five days, jurors said they were hopelessly deadlocked and could not reach a verdict.
Judge Hanley Chew asked each one if more time deliberating would help them break the impasse, and all answered, “No.”
“It appears that this jury is hopelessly deadlocked and I’m now declaring a mistrial in counts one and two,” Chen said. He then dismissed the jurors.
Santa Clara County prosecutors said the demonstrators broke furniture and splattered a red liquid described as fake blood on items throughout the offices.
Defense lawyers said the protest was protected speech and there was no intent to damage property.
The trial in California’s Silicon Valley is a rare instance of demonstrators facing felony charges from the wave of campus protests that year.