Mistrial Declared in Blackwater Murder Case

A federal judge has declared a mistral in the case of two former Blackwater contractors accused of murdering two unarmed Afghan civilians and wounding a third man in Kabul. The jury came up deadlocked after several days of deliberations. A new trial date was set for March 1.

Justin H. Cannon and Christopher Drotleff face life in prison for the May 5, 2009, shootings, which occurred when they were in the country to train the Afghan National Army. They were working for North Carolina-based Blackwater Worldwide, which changed its name to Xe Services. Neither testified in the trial. (More Blackwater stories.)