A mistrial has been declared in the case of Edward Miller, who was arrested for the DUI-related death of prominent Columbus cyclist Steve Barbour a year ago after Miller's car struck Barbour in Hilliard in the early hours of July 18, 2009.
After seven days of hearings and four hours of closing arguments by both attorneys, the jury was unable to reach a decision even after the judge, Common Pleas judge Stephen L. McIntosh, brought them back into the courtroom and asked them to open their minds.
The trial has been rescheduled for June 20th with a new jury.
Barbour was on his way to lead an organized bike ride the morning he was hit, as Miller and his passenger (former Columbus news personality gabe Spiegel) left a bar in Hilliard and Miller rear-ended Barbour's bicycle. Barbour died a few days later of head trauma.
Miller was recorded as having a blood alcohol level of .109, over the legal limit of .08 in Ohio. Prosecutors pointed out that skid marks on the road indicated that Miller did not apply the brakes on his vehicle until after he'd struck Barbour.
The defense presented witnesses that stated Barbour was wearing dark clothing on a dark road as he made his way to the organized ride that morning.
Many members of the Columbus cycling community have been following the case and keeping tabs on the proceedings at the Yay Bikes website forum, including several League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructors and Cincinnati-based lawyer Steve Magas.
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