After 9 Days of Jury Deliberations, Murder Case Stalls in Mistrial

Judge Ira Margulis. // Eagle photo by David Brand

By David Brand

After nine days of jury deliberations, the murder case against Sherman Manning ended in a mistrial Tuesday.

Judge Ira Margulis declared the mistrial after a marathon deliberation, which several courthouse personnel called the longest deliberation they had ever seen.

Manning, 40, is accused of the shooting death of Howard Beach resident Branden Santiago on the corner of 108th Street and 103rd Avenue in South Ozone Park in April 2014.

Jurors began deliberating on Nov. 13 and Margulis issued his first Allen charge — a firm instruction to resume deliberations after a jury says it is split — on Nov. 20.

Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the deliberations spanned three weeks.

The family of 20-year-old Santiago, who was reportedly known as “Scooter Joe,” attended Queens Supreme Court every day of the trial, which began on Oct. 15.

“We’re here everyday and it’s been rough for us,” the victim’s mother Bernice Santiago told the Eagle Monday. “We want justice. We want a guilty verdict.”

Manning will return to Queens Criminal Courthouse on Jan. 16, 2019 to set a new trial date.