The month-long extortion case revolving around the death of John Travolta's son Jett in the Bahamas earlier this year has ended in a mistrial. The two people accused of trying to extort about 25 million dollars from the actor will face a new trial "in the interest of justice," according to Senior Justice Anita Allen. The judge, who was overseeing he case, said she was forced to make the decision after a speech broadcast on TV and radio hinted the jury would acquit one of the defendants. She told the court: "We are concerned in the interest of justice that there has been a communication from the jury room. The dilemma that we face is great. I am erring on the side of caution. Justice must be transparent."Naturally, Travolta is upset by this news and released this statement: "We are disappointed to hear about the alleged juror misconduct since we know that the Bahamian government, the court, the other jurors and John Travolta as the victim want to have this matter adjudicated through the judicial system. Mr. Travolta has and will continue to cooperate with the Bahamian authorities in the prosecution of the defendants for extortion."
Paramedic Tarino Lightbourne, one member of the medical team who treated Jett before he died, and his co-accused, former Senator Pleasant Bridgewater, allegedly threatened to sell a story claiming the Travolta's "intentionally killed" their son. They demanded money in exchange for keeping their mouths shut, somewhere in the ballpark of $25 million. The jury was still deliberating when politicial Picewell Forbes told an audience at a Progressive Liberal Party convention that Bridgewater was "a free woman." Immediately after, his party's deputy chairman-elect, Alex Storr, apologized and announced that the information was incorrect and that no verdict had yet been issued. The judge still felt she had to dismiss the jurors and ordered a new trial, but no date for the retrial has been set as of now.
