PHILADELPHIA — A judge has declared a mistrial in the federal bribery case of Philadelphia Councilman Kenyatta Johnson and his wife, Dawn Chavous, after jurors were unable to reach a verdict after roughly 25 hours of deliberations.
“I do have a concern that there’s a manifest necessity for a mistrial,” U.S. District Judge Gerald A McHugh said Tuesday. “The jury has reached a deadlock and sending them back to deliberate any further may be coercive.”
The council member and his wife — their faces behind masks — showed little reaction as the judge announced his decision. Moments earlier, they shared a quiet moment at the defense table in close conversation.
