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After two mistrials, suspect in pair of Indianapolis murders on trial again

Maurice Turentine one of two men charged in deaths
Posted at 11:23 AM, Sep 23, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-23 11:23:18-04

INDIANAPOLIS—After two previous attempts ended in mistrials, an Indianapolis man facing two murder charges is on trial for a third time.

The trial of 34-year-old Maurice Turentine began Monday in Marion County Criminal Court.

He is one of two people charged in the 2017 murders of 30-year-old Darrel Miller and 31-year-old James Clark, who were shot to death at a home on Villa Avenue on the city's southeast side. Police said the murders appeared to be drug-related. A four-year-old child was present at the time of the shootings but was not harmed.

Turentine first went on trial in February, but a mistrial was declared after jurors began deliberations. There was a second mistrial in June when a defense attorney became ill on the day jurors were expected to deliberate, according to the Marion County Prosecutor's Office.

Court records show a second suspect in the two murders, Mingo Thames, was convicted last year and sentenced to 110-years in prison.