Mistrial in slaying of Calif. transgender

HAYWARD, Calif., June 22 (UPI) -- A mistrial was declared Tuesday in the trial of three young men charged with the murder of a transgender teenager in the San Francisco area.

The San Jose Mercury News said Alameda County Superior Court Judge Harry Sheppard brought the proceedings to a close after the jury became hopelessly deadlocked.

The jury had been deliberating the case since June 3.

The defendants were charged with killing a 17-year-old male who lived as a woman named Gwen Araujo in 2002 after they allegedly discovered his true sex.

All three face a murder charge with a hate-crime enhancement.

There was no immediate word on whether prosecutors would seek a new trial, although it was widely expected that they would.