DES MOINES, Iowa — The jury in the Marvin Esquivel Lopez triple murder trial appears closer to finishing its deliberations, but told the judge Wednesday they are "very far apart" on two of the three charges.
Esquivel Lopez is charged with three counts of first-degree murder for allegedly killing Rossibeth Flores Rodriguez and her two children—5-year-old Ever and 11-year-old Daniela—in July 2019.
Jury deliberations started on Friday, and on Wednesday morning, the jury sent a note to Judge David Porter saying they had reached a unanimous verdict on the count related to Rossibeth but remained "very far apart" on charges related to the two children.
The judge asked the jury in response:
"Do you believe there exists a reasonable probability that continued deliberation will result in unanimous verdicts for Counts II and III?"
Defense attorneys argued Wednesday that if a unanimous verdict could not be reached on all three counts, all three counts should result in a mistrial.
It is not yet known what the verdict on the murder charge related to Rossibeth is.
More from this trial
- No verdict yet in Marvin Esquivel Lopez murder trial after full day of jury deliberations Monday
- Jury deliberations continue in Marvin Esquivel Lopez murder trial
- Marvin Esquivel Lopez takes the stand in his own defense
- Polk County Medical Examiner testifies on Day 2 of Marvin Esquivel Lopez trial
- Wife of Des Moines triple murder suspect testifies she witnessed the killings
During the trial, Esquivel Lopez has testified that Rossibeth killed the kids before he acted in self-defense and killed her. Mariah Esquivel Lopez, Marvin's wife, told the court she witnessed the killings.
"It didn't seem real what I saw," she said. "I didn't want to believe it."
The jury is set to reconvene Thursday morning.