Jurors are continuing to deliberate after failing to reach a decision for a second day on the trial of a former BP engineer accused of obstructing the investigation into the Macondo disaster.
They were sent home last night after failing to reach a unanimous verdict in the trial of Kurt Mix, who faces two counts of obstruction of justice for deleting text messages relating to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill.
US District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr told the jurors to continue deliberating after they said they had been deadlocked for several hours and were having difficulty reaching a unanimous verdict.
Prosecutors claim the 52-year-old, from Katy, Texas, deleted texts from his supervisor and from a BP contractor about BP’s attempts to control the spill in order to prevent them from reaching a grand jury investigation.
His lawyers argue that the texts did not contain anything which was not included in other records presented in the case.
Mix, who did not testify at his trial, faces a $250,000 fine and 20 years in jail for each charge.
Deliberations into the verdict are due to resume today.