Va. judge declares mistrial in case of 2 ex-Blackwater contractors accused of killing Afghans

Mistrial declared in Blackwater contractor case

NORFOLK, Va. — A federal judge has declared a mistral in the case of two former Blackwater contractors accused of murdering two unarmed Afghan civilians and wounding a third man in Kabul.

WAVY-TV of Norfolk reported Monday that the jury came up deadlocked after several days of deliberations. A new trial date was set for March 1.

Justin H. Cannon and Christopher Drotleff face life in prison for the shootings on May 5, 2009, when they were in the country to train the Afghan National Army. They were working for North Carolina-based Blackwater Worldwide, which changed its name to Xe (zee) Services.

Cannon, of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Drotleff, of Virginia Beach, face murder, assault and weapons charges.

Neither testified in the trial.

Information from: WAVY-TV, www.wavy.com/