A MAN accused of murdering a 16-year-old student will face a retrial this summer after a jury failed to reach a verdict.
After almost two full days of deliberations, the six men and six women trying Alvin Jay Santos, of Wimborne Road, could not come to a conclusion.
Just four hours after Judge Keith Cutler told jurors he would accept a majority verdict, they returned to the court to inform him that no such verdict could be reached.
A retrial is planned for next month at Winchester Crown Court.
Santos, 25, is charged with murdering Linda Lietaviete on December 12 last year.
The body of the former Glenmoor schoolgirl was discovered partially buried under leaves at Horseshoe Common in the early hours of the following morning.
Jurors had listened to seven days of evidence from both the prosecution and the defence before retiring on Wednesday morning to consider their verdict.
But shortly before 4pm, the judge was sent a note indicating that a decision could not be reached.
Discharging the group, he said: "There will be a fresh trial in front of another jury.
"It does not happen too often, but it does happen, and this is a serious case."
He added that jurors should not feel they had "failed in any way at all".
"It has been a difficult and troubling case [to listen to]," he said.
It is hoped that a retrial will begin at the court on July 14.
Santos denies a single count of murder.
He was remanded back into custody.
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