Trial in Fatal Hotel Fire Ends With Hung Jury
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
A mistrial was declared Thursday in the murder trial of a Hollywood hotel owner whose property was destroyed by a 2001 fire that killed two people.
Juan Jose Ortiz, 49, was convicted of insurance fraud, but the jury could not reach a verdict on nine other charges, including murder for the death of a woman who fell from a window. Ortiz owned the Palomar Hotel with his brother Arturo, who authorities said set the blaze and died in it.
Prosecutors have not decided whether to retry the case, said Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for the district attorney.
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