For the second time, a mistrial has been declared in the case of 24-year-old D’Khari Lyons, the Manhattan man accused in the death of his former girlfriend’s infant son in late 2018.
According to Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson, the mistrial was requested by Deputy Riley County Attorney Bethany Fields. The office said during the trial Thursday, the defense counsel sought to elicit answers and ask questions on matters the prosecution believed to be inadmissible and highly prejudicial. Fields objected to the line of questioning and the trial court sustained the objection.
After all evidence was presented, Fields moved Judge Meryl Wilson to declare a mistrial, which he agreed to do.
The Manhattan Mercury reports that the prosecution alleged juror misconduct after learning Thursday that jurors had spoken with each other about the case and that at least one juror spoke about doing research outside the courtroom. The Riley County Attorney’s Office is not issuing any further comment at this time.
Lyons stands accused of first-degree murder in the death of 2-month-old Michael Calvert Jr. The official cause of death was ruled to be blunt force or abusive head trauma. A September trial also ended in mistrial after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict.
