Former Columbus Police vice officer Andrew Mitchell has been found not guilty after being tried for a second time on charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter related to the death of Donna Castleberry.
The jury returned its verdict on Tuesday afternoon after deliberating for several hours starting in the late morning.
The not-guilty verdict was rendered after a jury was deadlocked during a previous trial last April which resulted in a mistrial.
Franklin County Assistant Prosecutor Sheryl Pritchard said Monday that the evidence showed Donna Castleberry, 23, was attempting to flee to the backseat of an unmarked police car when Mitchell shot and killed her in August 2018.
Former Akron Police Officer Kevin Davis was questioned on Monday as a use-of-force expert by Pritchard and Mitchell's defense team. Davis was the second expert to testify in the trial after former FBI agent Urey Patrick testified last week.
Davis' testimony differed greatly from fellow use-of-force expert Patrick, who was called by the prosecution last week.
Patrick, a 24-year veteran with the FBI, testified Thursday that Mitchell was not justified in using deadly force against Castleberry.
Mitchell still faces a July trial on federal charges of forcing women to have sex in order to win their freedom.
