PHOENIX — The deliberations in a Scottsdale murder case will have to start over after a juror was excused on Tuesday.
The trial is in the penalty phase, and jurors are currently deciding if Ian Mitcham will get the death penalty or life in prison.
In April, the jury found the 50-year-old guilty of murdering Allison Feldman back in 2015.
Previous coverage of the trial can be found in the video player above.
Feldman's case marked the first time in Arizona where familial DNA was used to point police to Mitcham.
Closing arguments wrapped up last week, and the jury was resuming deliberations after the long holiday weekend.
ABC15 is committed to finding the answers you need and holding those accountable.
Submit your news tip to Investigators@abc15.com
Tuesday afternoon, members of the jury were called in one by one to answer questions in front of defense attorneys, prosecutors, and the judge.
Each person was asked about a comment apparently made by one of the jurors and whether what was said would impact their ability to make a decision.
Mitcham's attorneys asked for a mistrial, but the judge denied that.
Instead, the juror who made the comment will be excused, and an alternate will be called back.
The judge said the jury would be told that deliberations would have to start over with the alternate.
The juror was excused after asking someone outside the jury about life on death row.
"Just if like death row or life had much of a difference in the living situation," said the juror.
Jurors are not allowed to do any kind of research or seek information outside of the trial.
"It is a direct violation of the admission," said Judge Sunito Cairo.
