Hung Jury In Murder Conspiracy Case

25-Year Old Accused Of Plotting Murder

A jury could not come to a unanimous decision on any of the charges facing a young man in Orange County, reports the OC Register.

The accused man’s trial is the first of three in connection with a horrifying 2007 crime, when the home of the Dhanak family was burned down and the 56-year old fatherDhanak was beaten and stabbed to death, along with his oldest daughter. The wife, 52, was slashed in the throat, but managed to survive the brutal assault, and their youngest daughter escaped without injury.

The suspect is charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and a felony conspiracy to commit murder charge. If he had been convicted of all charges, he could have faced a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Jury Cannot Agree To Convict

Deliberations after the trial resulted in a hung jury, with only the conspiracy charge coming close to conviction. 10 of the 12 jurors were in favor of convicting the man for this crime, but 2 held out, saying they didn’t think he was ‘an evil person’.

Prosecutors in the case allege that the suspect helped his friend plot the murders of the family, as revenge for his friend being dumped by the younger daughter. Evidence showed that the defendant was not actually at the Dhanak home at the time of the murders, but was in fact at home recovering from motorcycle injuries.

The prosecution showed chat logs as evidence of the conspiracy charge, with conversations between the defendant and the man believed to have committed the murders detailing a plan for how to murder the parents, with one chat log even saying they should ‘burn the house down.’ The criminal defense attorney tried to show that the Internet conversations were merely ‘banter’, and that the defendant had no intention of actually following through on the crime.

The trial for the accused murderer is set to begin soon, where he could potentially face the death penalty for his alleged crimes.

Seek A Strong Criminal Defense

If you are facing a potential homicide charge, you need the help of the best Santa Ana criminal defense lawyer you can find. Murder is one of the most serious offenses in the criminal justice system, and you deserve the strongest defense possible. Thomas Tears is a professional defense advocate with more than thirty years of experience. Let him help you, before it is too late.

Do not delay! Contact a Santa Ana homicide defense lawyer right away!