A jury announced Friday they were unable to reach a verdict in the case of a local man accused of killing a mother and son in Rosemead and a school teacher in Monterey Park 12 years ago.
After days of deliberation, the Pasadena Superior Court jury reported they were deadlocked just after noon Friday in the case against Juan Uitz, court officials said.
Uitz, 32, of Rosemead, is charged with three counts of murder with the special allegations of multiple murder, felony murder and personal use of a firearm, as well as residential burglary and residential robbery, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Jane Robison said.
A majority of jurors favored convicting Uitz on all charges.
“We definitely will be re-trying it,” Robison said.
A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for July 13, she added. Uitz remains in custody without bail.
The prosecutor and defense attorney in the case did not return calls seeking comment Friday.
Uitz is accused of killing Shen Chung Lee, 54, and her son, Tse Hui Lee, 21, during a December 1997 home invasion robbery in Rosemead, according to court documents.
Wen Tou Lee, Shen’s husband, was beaten with the butt of a shotgun during the attack but survived.
Within an hour, 32-year-old school teacher Linda Hesse was fatally shot in her car as she drove away from her Monterey Park home, Robison said.
Uitz was arrested in connection with the case in 2004 along with another man, Javier Renteria. Both men were believed to be members of the Lomas street gang in Rosemead.
Renteria has since pleaded guilty to robbery and agreed to testify against Uitz in the murder trial.
A small amount of money was taken from Shen Chung Lee’s purse in the Rosemead robbery, authorities said, while no money was taken from Hesse.
Family members of the Lees could not be reached for comment Friday.
Defense attorneys have challenged the credibility of Renteria as a witness, ballistic evidence collected by investigators and the translation of statements made by Wen Tou Lee.
Detective Boyd Zumwalt of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau, who investigated the slayings, has said he believes the case against Uitz is strong.
Wen Tou Lee’s brother, Wen Ho Lee, made headlines in 1999, when the Los Alamitos National Laboratory scientist was indicted on charges of passing United States secrets to the Chinese government.
Wen Ho Lee was never charged with spying and ultimately won an $895,000 settlement from the government for leaking information to reporters.
If convicted, Uitz faces the possibility of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Staff Writer Dan Abendschein contributed to this story.
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