LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A mistrial was declared Tuesday in a homicide case against Wilberto Melendez.
The court ruled that a portion of a witness’ testimony was prejudicial and couldn’t be resolved with an instruction to the jury, according to Brett Hambright, a spokesperson for the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.
Hambright elaborated, “Specifically, the witness eluded to a prior criminal case involving Mr. Melendez.
“Prosecutors made it very clear to all civilian trial witnesses that they were not to discuss any criminal case aside from Mr. Cooper’s death. This witness was reminded of that literally minutes before taking the stand.”
He noted that the DA’s Office intends to retry the case, likely later this year.
Melendez was accused of killing a 31-year-old man in October 2017.
The victim was found during the early morning hours of October 27, 2017 in the 300 block of South Marshall Street in Lancaster with multiple gunshot wounds, police said at the time. He died at Lancaster General Hospital around 8 a.m.
