Deliberations to start over in murder case

VANCOUVER, Wash. — After nearly 30 hours of deliberations over four days, jurors in the Sophia Johnson murder trial were told to start all over after the dismissal of a juror who reportedly refused to talk and at one point locked herself in a bathroom.

Superior Court Judge Diane Woolard informed the jurors yesterday of her decision to send the woman home. She appointed a new juror and said the panel would have to vote again on a presiding juror and start over.

"You need to disregard all of your prior deliberations," Woolard told the weary-looking jurors.

Defense attorney Therese Lavallee argued against the decision to reconstitute the jury after four days of deliberations.

Johnson, 24, faces first-degree felony murder charges in the death of her mother-in-law. The body of Marlyne Johnson, 58, was found in her Brush Prairie home on Jan. 10, 2002. She was fatally beaten with a pair of fireplace tongs.

Prosecutors say Sophia Johnson, who is serving a three-year prison term for embezzling $70,000 from a former employer, killed her mother-in-law in a robbery attempt to find a secret stash of cash.

Lavallee argued that Sophia Johnson's younger brother, Sean Correia, was the killer.

Correia, 20, has served a yearlong sentence for rendering criminal assistance, residential burglary and theft. He testified against his sister during the two-week trial.

If convicted, Sophia Johnson faces between 20 and 26 years in prison.