Judge declares mistrial for father of 8-year-old beaten to death with rolling pin

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A judge has declared a mistrial for the father of an 8-year-old girl beaten to death with a rolling pin.

Cledir Barros is accused of not doing enough to prevent his daughter’s death. Police said Sayra Barros was beaten to death by her stepmother, Natiela Barros, with a wooden rolling pin in January.

The father and stepmother were both initially charged with murder and she has not gone to trial yet. The second-degree murder charges against Cledir Barros were dropped during the trial. He now only faces a verdict on child cruelty charges.

The jury returned the Gwinnett courtroom on Monday after closing arguments and three hours of deliberations last week.

Prosecutors say Barros didn’t do enough to protect his daughter from his wife. They said Barros withdrew Sayra from school and left her at home with her stepmother and that there was a history of abuse in the home.

The defense argued that the father was often on the road as a truck driver and wasn’t aware of the ongoing abuse.

The jury sent several notices to the judge to indicate they were deadlocked.

Channel 2′s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson was in the courtroom Monday, where the jury re-watched body camera videos and listened to 911 calls again.

“It is the law that a unanimous verdict is required,” Judge Karen Beyers told the jury. “Each juror should listen to other jurors with the disposition to be convinced by them.”