MONROE -- After deliberating for more than six hours on Tuesday, the jury in Jamez Hunter’s murder trial went home without reaching a verdict.

Hunter, 27, formerly of 124 W. Union St. in Marshville, is charged with first-degree murder in the May 6, 2007, death of Rosia Lee Hunter, his grandmother.

Jamez Hunter testified that he was “blacked out” on a mixture of crack cocaine and ecstasy and does not remember what happened to his grandmother.

He testified that he remembers going into the bathroom at his grandmother’s house to smoke crack cocaine, then he remembers waking up with cuts on his hands, blood on his shirt and his grandmother beaten, strangled and stabbed to death.

Jury selection began Sept. 29 and the trial began Oct. 2; the case was given to the jury late Monday evening, but jurors deliberated for only an hour before leaving.

“The jury is deliberating,” District Attorney John Snyder said. He and defense attorney Norman Butler declined any other comments.

Editor John Edmondson of The Home News of Marshville clocked the deliberations on Tuesday; the jury was out for six hours and 37 minutes.

Court will reconvene Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.