GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A family’s search for justice continues after a judge declared a mistrial Monday afternoon in the trial of Austin Ford. Ford was on trial for the shooting death of Tori Lang, an 18-year-old teen found dead under a tree in Gwinnett County's Yellow River Park in 2021.
“From the prior notes leading up to today it appears they are at an impasse,” said Gwinnett County Judge Deborah Fluker, as she addressed attorneys on both sides of the case. On Monday, Fluker received yet another note from a juror, as the jury struggled to reach a verdict.
“I cannot do this another day due to health issues. I lost my husband December 28, 2021, and this weekend was awful for me-- made me literally sick and I had a grief attack. I will be 72 this month and should have asked to not serve,” the juror wrote.
That juror was not removed and while the jury did not have a unanimous decision on all the counts, they did reach a verdict on some.
Ford was found guilty of the charge of tampering with evidence and two counts of theft by taking. He was also found guilty of concealing the death of Tori Lang.
However, the jury could not come to a unanimous verdict on the most serious charges against him: felony murder, aggravated assault and voluntary manslaughter.
“I look forward to the prosecutors' decision on whether or not, they’re going to decide to move forward with the remainder of the homicide charges," Defense Attorney Lawrence Lewis said. "Obviously, our primary thing that we were concerned with was-- is the homicide we were less concerned with the theft charges or the concealing."
Prosecutors released a statement Monday afternoon saying they will meet with Tori Lang's family in the coming days and decide if they will seek a new trial. Ford remains in custody and each of the guilty verdicts comes with a penalty of up to 10 years in custody but a sentencing date has not been set yet.
