Mistrial in Md. cabbie murder case

A Baltimore judge has declared a mistrial in the murder trial of a man accused shooting a cab driver.

Circuit Judge George L. Russell III declared the trial of 23-year-old Robert Lee Murphy of Baltimore inconclusive Friday afternoon.

Murphy was charged with murder, assault and handgun charges in the death of 47-year-old Stephen Mauk.

Mauk's body was found Jan. 26, 2009 in his cab. He'd been shot in the head. His employer had last heard from him when he was dispatched to pick up a fare for a local trip in Frederick.

The judge had received a note from the jury, saying they could not reach a unanimous verdict. Russell noted the jury had spent as much time deliberating as it had hearing the case.

-- The Frederick News-Post