By NATE DYBVIG
Staff Writer
BRAINERD,MN
After deliberating for a little more than a day, the jury in the Thomas R. Wassen murder trial acquitted him Thursday on the charge of second degree murder, and a hung jury was declared on the charge of first degree manslaughter.
Wassen, 30, of Deerwood, was charged in the 1996 death of Michael Norris. The criminal complaint against Wassen stated Norris entered Wassen's unlocked home on the night of Aug. 23 and confronted him. A scuffle ensued and Norris ended up on the floor of Wassen's home with a gunshot wound that would become fatal.
Despite the fact the jury did not reach a verdict on the manslaughter charge, Crow Wing County Attorney Don Ryan said the rule of double jeopardy prevents Wassen from being tried on the charge again.
Wassen's attorney, Allan Caplan said that he was, "delighted" with the verdict, and that he thought the jury had reached a fair and just verdict.
"The government failed to prove their case against my client," Caplan said, "And as such, he is now a free man."
Caplan's defense was based on the principle of legal justification as Norris had broken into his client's home.
