State v. Gouveia.

OPINION OF THE COURT BY

RECKTENWALD, C.J.

This case requires us to determine whether the trial court erred in declaring a mistrial based on jurors’ concerns about their safety. Defendant Royce Gouveia was charged with manslaughter and tried before the Circuit Court of the First Circuit.1 After deliberating, the jurors sent several notes to the court. The first note stated: “We reached a verdict.” Another note expressed concern for their safety because a man on the prosecutor’s side of the courtroom had been “glaring and whistling at [Gouveia].” The circuit court conducted voir dire of the…