Jurors deadlocked today in the trial of the man accused of killing a 13-year-old girl on Pacific Coast Highway in April 2010.
The girl, Malibu resident Emily Rose Shane, was a pedestrian when she was struck by a car driven by Sina Khankhanian, 28-years-old, at PCH and Heathercliff Dr.
Shane's body was thrown 30 feet into the air.
Authorities believe the driver was trying to kill himself by crashing his car, and hit the 8th grader by accident. Prosecutors say he was angry after just having been fired from a job and drove recklessly. Witnesses who saw him driving that day testified that he was passing cars on the right, tailgating vehicles, and creating a dangerous situation.
Khankhanian's attorneys maintained that he lost control of his car. They told the jury that he was autistic and did not understand that his actions could result in someone else's death.
The jury, which consisted of 4 women and 8 men, deadlocked. They could not agree on whether he should be convicted of second-degree murder or a lesser charge of gross vehicular manslaughter. The judge declared a hung jury. There will likely be a second trial.