The murder trial of a man accused of shooting into the wrong Old East Dallas apartment and killing a 9-year-old girl has ended without a verdict.
According to a report by NBC 5's media partners at The Dallas Morning News, attorneys involved in the case of Tyrese Simmons would not say why District Judge Hector Garza granted a defense request for a mistrial on Thursday. The judge could not be reached for comment.
Simmons, 24, is charged with murder in connection with the 2019 slaying of Brandoniya Bennett. The elementary school student was struck by gunfire while walking from her kitchen after getting a snack. She was days away from starting the fourth grade.
Simmons has been jailed since August 2023 after going on the run days before he was initially scheduled to stand trial for the killing.
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For more on this story, visit our media partners at The Dallas Morning News.
Simmons surrendered to police the day after the shooting but was released on bond months later. Then last summer, just ahead of his trial, police said he cut off his ankle monitor and fled.
Simmons allegedly claimed his innocence on social media posts at the time. He was eventually arrested in a standoff with police at a hotel in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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In the state’s opening arguments, the prosecutor said they would show jurors video surveillance, eye-witness testimony, and first responder testimony that prove Simmons was also just as responsible for Bennett’s death.
"This defendant’s evil and arrogance ended a little girl's life,” one of the prosecutors told the jurors.
Simmons faced up to life in prison if convicted.
According to court records, a second man – Davonte Benton -- was already convicted of murder and sentenced to 45 years in prison for his role in the shooting.
