KENT COUNTY, Mich. — In his career as an attorney, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker says he's never seen anything of the sort.
"No, not even close," he said.
In 2025, a judge in Kent County's 17th Circuit Court declared a mistrial in a total of eight criminal cases — four of them involving a murder charge — as juries just couldn't decide on a verdict.
Why?
"I wish I knew," Becker said to FOX 17.
The prosecutor has a few theories, though.
The jury box, he says, can act as a microcosm of society where people form their opinions based on available evidence and, nowadays, become unwilling to budge on them. If there's any way to explain why these eight juries couldn't reach unanimity in their respective cases, this may be the reason.
"I think part of it is polarization," Becker said. "This is what happened. This is what I believe. They don't want to listen. They don't want to talk. They don't want to discuss."
"We're a reflection of society," he said.
Becker also says the weight of high-profile cases can be burdensome for a jury.
"All of a sudden, the rubber meets the road and you've actually got to make that decision," he said, referencing how the popularity of true crime podcasts has heightened the reality of sentences and prison time. "Strikes them at home."
For younger jurors, too, photo or video evidence of a crime may be necessary in order to convince them of a defendant's guilt, while older jurors seem to be more comfortable with witness testimony.
"They rely so much on digital," Becker said of Millennials and Gen Z. "If it's not on video, it didn't happen."
Then, if these randomly selected, twelve person panels have just a little bit of indecision or distrust in the justice system, they may not be able to deliver a verdict.
"I think juries anticipate more [evidence]," he said. "Makes our job a little bit harder."
The Trial of Christopher Schurr
In May, Becker decided not to retry former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr in the death of Patrick Lyoya, a black man whom he shot in the back of the head during a traffic stop. After several days of deliberation in the second-degree murder case, the jury was unable to reach unanimity, prompting Judge Christina Mims to declare a mistrial. Becker's announcement came that same month.
At the time, the prosecutor said he did not believe he could convince the jury, which reportedly leaned heavily in favor of a not guilty verdict, to deliver a conviction.
Shooting death of Patrick Lyoya
Christopher Schurr will not be retried, prosecutor drops murder charge
Months later, he still stands by the decision.
"I made that decision. I'm still confident in that [decision]," Becker said to FOX 17. "I don't see how a retrial would have done anything different."
Mistrials in murder cases
The other three mistrials in murder cases tried in 17th Circuit Court this year resulted in a plea deal, a guilty verdict on a retrial and no retrial.
- Marcus Lofton
- Charged with open murder for allegedly shooting his wife after she served him divorce papers
- Plead guilty to second-degree murder after a mistrial
- Greggory Harris
- Charged with open murder murder for allegedly stabbing a 53-year-old man to death after a fight over a bicycle
- Found guilty of second-degree murder in a retrial
- Isiah Williams
- Charged with second-degree murder for allegedly killing a 50-year-old man with a sword
- No retrial
Regarding the decision not to retry Williams, Becker said his decision came by way of the same reasoning he used in the Schurr trial. He simply didn't see a path to a conviction in what he called a "difficult" case.
"Any time you have a hung jury or anything that's not successful, it’s natural and human nature to say, 'Okay, what could I have done differently?'" Becker said. "Obviously, you'd like to probably win all the cases that go to trial. But the once again, that's not our role."
"So, it's definitely been a unique year, for sure, given all the things that have gone on."
The New Year
In 2026, Becker says he hopes the county can continue to teach up younger staffers after the loss of some "experienced" attorneys.
"There's been some ups and downs," he said. "Hopefully we can grow and learn in the appropriate way to continue the service we've provided for all these years."
Kent
