More than three years after he was arrested for the murder of Kristopher King and the bloody attack of Patricia Wells, a jurors for self-proclaimed neo-Nazi John Ditullio were deadlocked.
After members deliberated for more than 10 hours earlier this month, Circuit Court Judge Michael Andrews was forced to declare a mistrial. Ditullio will face another trial in 2010.
The 12-member panel couldn’t agree on whether Ditullio, 23, was the masked man who broke into Wells’ trailer on Teak Street in New Port Richey and attacked two people. It is alleged that Ditullio and members of his group disliked Wells because she had African-American friends and a gay son. He was charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.
Prosecutors still plan on seeking the death penalty.
According to police records the attack happened in the early morning hours of March 23, 2006. Wells said a man wearing a gas mask broke into the trailer and lunged at her with a knife. She said she had endured harassment from the American Nazi compound next door for several weeks before the attack.
Wells, now 48, testified that she ran into a back bedroom, where King, a 17-year-old friend of her son, was using a computer. The attacker cornered her between two pieces of furniture, slashing her in the face and arms. When King tried to run, the masked man went after him. The teen died of multiple stab wounds to his skull.
Ditullio maintained his innocence on the stand, saying he was framed by his “brothers.”
However, Guy King, Kristopher King’s father, believes Ditullio is the murderer.
Guy King said that the first Christmas after his son was stabbed, he received a card from Ditullio that read “Rest in Peace. Here lies a dead Fag.” The inside of the card read “I hope your Christmas is full of memories of your dead gay son. Merry fucking Christmas.”
It was signed “Syn,” Ditullio’s nickname, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutor Mike Halkitis told jurors that Ditullio’s own writings after the crime were so incriminating, they could “convict this defendant based on his words alone.”
In a letter he later sent to his father from jail, Ditullio wrote, “All this is my fault. These are my actions.” Ditullio told jurors he was accepting responsibility for associating with bad people, not admitting to the stabbings.
