The trial of a woman accused of encouraging her son to kill the mother of his child ended in a mistrial after issues with the jury – including one juror who did crossword puzzles during testimony and deliberations.
The juror issues occurred during the murder trial of Sheila Agee, who is accused of telling her son, Keith Agee, to kill the mother of his children, Brooklyn Sims. Sims was murdered in a Pensacola Home Depot in August 2023.
The mistrial was declared on Wednesday, Nov. 20 after Judge Coleman Robinson ruled in favor of a motion submitted by the defense.
“There is a particular juror who has not treated this case, and it’s evident, with the seriousness it should have,” Robinson told the jury, according to the Pensacola News-Journal. “And it continued back into the deliberation room.”
Other jurors said that one 80-year-old juror had done a crossword puzzle during testimony and another during deliberations. The juror told WKRG that she could “hear and was listening,” despite doing the puzzle and that she didn’t know that she wasn’t supposed to.
The News-Journal reported that jurors also reported that there were racial issues with the jury and that one juror told the judge she didn’t feel physically safe.
Another juror told the judge he has a pacemaker and that the arguments in the deliberation room could affect it. Sheila’s new trial will now begin on Feb. 5.
Keith Agee was arrested the day after the fatal shooting, which occurred at the Home Depot where Sims worked. Sheila was arrested in Alabama days later. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office released alleged text messages sent by Sheila to her son before he committed the crime. In them, police say she encouraged her son to kill Sims.
“As long as you don’t shoot me,” Sheila wrote in one of the messages.
In December, Keith was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, the outlets reported.
