Judge calls mistrial in 1996 slaying case

KALKASKA, Mich. (AP) - Jurors have reached an impasse in the trial of a man accused of raping and killing a northern Michigan woman in 1996. A judge declared a mistrial last Thursday following two days of deliberations in the trial that started Dec. 8. Thirty-six-year-old Jason Ryan of Davison is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree criminal sexual conduct in the death of 68-year-old Geraldine Montgomery of Kalkaska. A Kalkaska County prosecutor says he will retry Ryan but he didn't know why jurors couldn't reach a consensus. A pretrial has been set for January. Jamie Peterson was convicted of the crimes in 1998 and sentenced to life without parole. He was released in September after DNA tests showed he didn't attack Montgomery. Prosecutors say the new DNA tests placed Ryan at the crime scene. Published: Mon, Dec 22, 2014