In what seems to be a sign of the strength of the defense, the jury in the murder trial of Tiffany Li and Kaveh Bayat have yet to reach a verdict after nine full days of deliberations.
The jury returned to the deliberation room Tuesday after a four-day long weekend that included the Veterans Day holiday, and they finished the day without coming to a verdict in the high-profile case. This will be the jury's third week of deliberations. Meanwhile, as ABC 7 reports, a man believed by prosecutors to be an accessory in the case, Olivier Adella, made an appearance in court Tuesday morning. Judge Robert Foiles announced in court that Adella's next court date was scheduled for December 12, and attorneys have until two days prior to that date to submit paperwork in his case.
Li and Bayat are being tried for the April 2016 killing of Li's ex Keith Green, who is the father of her two children. Li — whose wealthy Chinese parents bought her a mansion in Hillsborough and who helped put up $66 million in cash and assets for her bail — is believed to have orchestrated the murder, with Bayat pulling the trigger in Li's garage, as the prosecution told the jury. The motive allegedly had to do with custody of their children and Green's ongoing requests for money after their breakup.
Prosecutors presented blood evidence at trial that was found in a sink in a room at Li's home believed to be Bayat's "man cave."
Adella is currently facing charges of both murder and being an accessory after the fact, though as ABC 7 notes, he likely will not be tried for murder given that that would contradict the prosecution theory in the Li/Bayat case which contends that Adella only disposed of Green's body after Bayat and Li drove the body to his home the night of the murder. Adella earlier told ABC 7 that Li and Bayat had offered him $50,000 to kill Green, and he had refused.
Adella had been set to be a star witness for the prosecution, and was granted immunity, however he lost that immunity and was recharged after defense attorneys revealed he had improperly contacted a defense witness (his ex-girlfriend) over social media.
The defense argued at trial that Adella had been attempting to kidnap Green, and he was killed in the botched attempt. The prosecution countered that it made no sense to kidnap Green for ransom, given that Green was semi-homeless at the time of the murder, having been kicked out of Li's home.
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