Second Mistrial Declared in Student Dismemberment Trial

A Connecticut jury is deadlocked in the trial of a Bridgeport man charged with killing and dismembering his girlfriend in 2013 after she broke up with him and the judge has declared a mistrial.

This is the second mistrial in the case of Jermaine Richards, who was charged with murder in the April 2013 death of Alyssiah Wiley, a 20-year-old West Haven resident and student at Eastern Connecticut State University.

The search for Wiley started when she failed to show up for a sorority meeting or class days later and her partial remains were found in Trumbull about a month after she was last seen with the 33-year-old Richards outside her dorm.

A 12-page affidavit released after Richards was arrested depicted a turbulent four-year relationship between the two. According to the documents, Wiley tried to break up with Richards over Facebook in the days before her disappearance. 

Police said Richards' cell phone led them to Wiley’s body and authorities were able to ping his phone in the wooded area of Trumbull.

A mistrial was declared last year after the first jury to hear the case deadlocked.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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