Mistrial in pier case: Jury can't reach verdict; hearing set for next week.

Byline: Kitty Caparella, Theresa Conroy & Christine Olley

Nov. 9--THE TWO holdout jurors in the Pier 34 trial wanted to see in writing that marine-construction expert Jesse Tyson had warned pier owner Michael Asbell and Club Heat operator Eli Karetny that the pier was going to collapse on May 18, 2000, the day three young women were killed and 43 other people were injured.

That was the account of Juan Vasquez, juror No. 3, after the jury of nine women and three men told Common Pleas Judge Sheila Woods-Skipper they could not reach a unanimous verdict in the seven-week trial.

The judge declared a mistrial, and prosecutors said they will seek a retrial.

Most jurors didn't believe 80-year-old Tyson's key testimony about the imminent collapse, said Vasquez. But he said there still was enough other corroborating evidence for 10 jurors to vote to convict the two businessmen.

After 27 hours of deliberations over six days, discussions became testy. "Some just didn't want to budge, …