A federal judge declared a mistrial Monday in the case of two former Blackwater workers accused of murdering two unarmed Afghan civilians and wounding a third man in Kabul, according to AP. The jury came out deadlocked just before 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) after several days of deliberations, WAVY-TV in Norfolk reported on its website. A new trial date was set for March 1. They both face murder, assault and weapons charges that could send them to prison for life. Prosecutors said Justin H. Cannon, 28, and Christopher Drotleff, 30, had been drinking alcohol all day and had taken two company vehicles and weapons off of the U.S. camp without permission when they shot into a fleeing vehicle on a street on May 5, 2009. Cannon and Drotleff told investigators that they feared for their lives and suspected the car could be a suicide bomber. Neither testified during the weeklong trial. U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar granted Cannon and Drotleff a bond hearing, set for Wednesday, according to The Virginian-Pilot, of Norfolk. «My client and his family are extremely upset that the jury was not able to reach a verdict acquitting him,» said Lawrence H. Woodward Jr., one of Drotleff's attorneys. «I always believed and continue to believe that they acted in self defense. Any person in those circumstances would have acted the way they did.» Cannon's attorneys were not immediately available for comment after court. Drotleff's wife left the courthouse in tears. Cannon's father declined to comment. The jury of nine women and three men told the judge they were about equally split between those who wanted to acquit the men and those who felt they should be convicted. Cannon, of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Drotleff, of Virginia Beach, were in the country to provide weapons training for the Afghan National Army. They were working for North Carolina-based Blackwater Worldwide, which is now known as Xe Services. During the trial, jurors viewed the bullet-riddled Toyota Corolla at the center of the deadly encounter and heard from two Afghan nationals who said they feared for their lives if they did not lie about the events of that night. One testified that he lied when he said the defendants had not been drinking. Cannon and Drotleff fired about 30 rounds _ Cannon with an AK47 and Drotleff with a 9mm pistol _ hitting two men in the car and a bystander who was walking his dog with a friend. One man in the car and the man on the street died from gunshot wounds.
