Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A jury in Puerto Rico has rejected the death penalty for a New York man convicted of carjacking and then killing an undercover police officer in the U.S. territory.
It is the sixth time that a Puerto Rico jury has rejected a federal death penalty case. Jurors said late Thursday that they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
Lashaun Casey automatically will face life in prison for the August 2005 death of Jesus Lizardi Espada.
The U.S. territory’s constitution prohibits the death penalty, but Casey was being tried in federal court.
The local government has requested that federal prosecutors stop seeking the death penalty in Puerto Rico.