Justice John O’Neil declared a mistrial on Wednesday in the high-profile manslaughter case of Aziayh Scott, 24, of Louisiana, who is accused of the 2024 death of 22-month-old Quayshawn Wilson, his girlfriend’s son.
“The state is extremely confident that Aziayh Scott is responsible for the injury that lacerated the liver of Quayshawn and caused his death,” said Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin, according to the Bangor Daily News.
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Nonethless, O’Neil declared a mistrial after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
Scott is accused of causing the death of Wilson, who died in a Walmart parking lot in May 2024.
At the time, emergency services responded to reports of a child not breathing. The child was transported to Pen Bay Medical Center by first responders after two former certified nursing assistants who were in the parking lot attempted to resuscitate the child by applying CPR.
Following an autopsy, the Office of the Maine Chief Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death was blunt force trauma and that the manner of death was homicide.
Scott, who was dating the child’s mother and was the only person with Wilson the afternoon before his death, allegedly inflicted the blunt-force trauma.
During the trial, a pediatrician specializing in child abuse cases testified on behalf of the prosecution and told jurors that the injuries discovered during the medical examination must have been caused by violent blows.
The defense suggested that the autopsy was incompetently performed, pointed out that no witnesses actually saw the alleged child abuse, and that the child’s mother, Shaneka Washington, has maintained that she believes Scott is innocent.
The state will allegedly attempt to retry Scott for manslaughter.
