Mistrial declared last month in Bessman Okafor resentencing

Gavel (FILE) (Pixabay)

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A juror accused of causing a mistrial at the resentencing of a convicted Central Florida killer is scheduled to face a judge on Thursday.

The state is seeking contempt charges, jail time and court costs after prosecutors said the woman spoke with a friend about the Bessman Okafor case during the death penalty resentencing trial.

According to court records, “Juror 370 revealed to the parties that she had engaged in a conversation about the case with a friend and had received information from outside the courtroom which would affect her ability to be fair and impartial.”

Okafor was originally sentenced to death in 2015, found guilty in the 2012 murder of Alex Zaldivar, 19, who was slated to testify against Okafor in a home invasion case.

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A jury voted 11-1 to sentence Okafor to death in 2015, but the Florida Supreme Court in 2016 ruled on unanimous jury recommendations for such a sentence. Following this, one of Okafor’s attorneys announced he would attempt to get his client off death row, seeing Okafor’s case overturned in 2017.

In 2020, a new Florida Supreme Court with more conservative justices ruled that a unanimous jury was not required to sentence someone to death, reversing the previous decision.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law in April that allows death sentences to be imposed if eight out of 12 jurors recommend it, the law that Okafor was being resentenced under. Florida prosecutors originally sought to have Okafor’s death penalty reinstated instead of holding a resentencing trial at all.

Thursday’s hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.

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About the Author:

Mark Lehman became a News 6 reporter in July 2014, but he's been a Central Florida journalist and part of the News 6 team for much longer. While most people are fast asleep in their bed, Mark starts his day overnight by searching for news on the streets of Central Florida.