THOUSAND OAKS : Mistrial Declared in Teen’s Murder Case

A Ventura County Superior Court judge declared a mistrial Monday after jurors failed to reach a verdict in the murder case of a 17-year-old immigrant accused of stabbing a Thousand Oaks nurseryman last spring.

After deliberating for 12 hours over three days, the jury found Jose Luis Navarro, 17, not guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of Jose Narvaez, 49, who died of deep stab wounds on April 19 in Thousand Oaks.

But the jurors deadlocked 7 to 5 in favor of acquittal on a charge of second-degree murder, and Judge Charles R. McGrath declared a mistrial, which could mean that Navarro will be re-tried, Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard E. Holmes said.

A hearing is set for Monday to schedule further proceedings, Holmes said.

Navarro testified that he had sodomized Narvaez that night. But he told jurors that he stabbed Narvaez in self-defense when Narvaez tried forcibly to sodomize him.

Narvaez was stabbed once in the stomach and three times in the back with a 9 1/2-inch butcher knife.

Holmes declined to disclose details of what jurors told him about their failure to reach a unanimous verdict. But he said the jury “had problems with the case” in determining whether Navarro killed Narvaez in self-defense.

Navarro is being held at the Ventura County Juvenile Hall in lieu of $250,000 bail.