https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/2018-stabbing-case-ends-in-mistrial-14963341.php
2018 stabbing case ends in mistrial
By Chris Moore
Updated 5:31 pm CST, Thursday, January 9, 2020
Photo: Beaumont Police Department
A Jefferson County judge on Thursday ruled in favor of a mistrial after a jury could not reach a unanimous verdict in a 2018 stabbing case.
Robert Rodriguez was on trial for aggravated assault stemming from an incident at a motel room in August 2018. Testimony began Tuesday.
The jury, which was made up of eight women and four men, deliberated for five hours and sent three notes to Criminal District Court Judge John Stevens indicating that a unanimous verdict was not imminent. Following the third note, Rodriguez's attorney Audwin Samuel made a motion for a mistrial.
While on the stand Wednesday, Rodriguez admitted to stabbing Edgar Campos at a Beaumont motel, but claimed it was self defense and that Campos produced the knife.
Campos testified during the three-day trial, as did the defendant's wife Destiny Rodriguez. During the first day of testimony, Destiny Rodriguez said her husband attacked Campos when he interfered with an argument between the married couple. All parties involved admitted on the stand to smoking methamphetamine prior to the altercation.
Police did not find a weapon at the scene.
Following the trial, jurors told both attorneys the vote was split on three separate occasions. Jurors said they did not believe testimony from Rodriguez's wife and the alleged victim matched the photos of the scene shown in court.
"The people spoke," Samuel told The Enterprise. "I'm happy to see that people will stick to their convictions. We just have to come back to fight again."
Samuel said jurors told him the group leaned more towards "not guilty" on the final vote, but the majority changed twice.
"This tells me the system does work," he said. "People can discuss the issues intelligently and calmly. Even after discussing and evaluating evidence, they can stick to their convictions."
During closing arguments, both attorneys questioned the credibility of the witnesses that took the stand. The prosecution questioned Robert Rodriguez's credibility due to his past convictions, with defense attorneys emphasized both Destiny Rodriguez and Campos' admission to smoking meth shortly before the stabbing.
The case will be retried in approximately 60 days, Samuel said.
chris.moore@beaumontenterprise.com
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