PROVIDENCE A mistrial was declared Thursday after the jury became deadlocked in the first jury trial in state Superior Court since the COVID pandemic began.
The jury couldn t reach a verdict in the trial of Nelson Dearce, a 53-year-old Westerly man accused of stabbing to death a man who was visiting his ex-girlfriend in January 2018. He is facing charges of first-degree murder and domestic violence assault with a dangerous weapon inside a dwelling.
The Westerly police allege that Jeremy Lehmann, 50, was visiting the 56 Bowling Lane apartment that Dearce shared with his ex-girlfriend and their four children. Dearce came home and became upset at finding Lehmann, of Niantic, Connecticut, there, confronted him and attacked him, stabbing him multiple times with a knife, authorities alleged. Dearce’s ex-girlfriend and children were in another room during the attack.