Third mistrial declared for kidnapping, manhunt suspect

A judge issued the third mistrial Friday for Brian Adkison, who is accused of kidnapping and domestic assault, after he escaped law enforcement multiple times.

Both the defense and prosecution rested Thursday afternoon, and closing arguments wrapped up Thursday evening. The jury deliberated into the night, before resuming Friday morning.

Prosecutors said Adkison threw his ex-girlfriend in a truck back in 2013 and choked her to stop her from fighting.

Eventually, Adkison dropped her off at University Hospital in Columbia.

The defense pointed out several inconsistencies between his ex-girlfriend’s story that she told on the stand, compared to what she told several different investigators since 2013.

The attorney, Ross Nigro, asked why she never tried to get help when she was with Adkison that day.

Prosecutor Brent Nelson said the jury should not put any blame on her, because she never wanted to be in that situation.

Adkison was the subject of a manhunt near the Lake of the Ozarks in the summer of 2013, before escaping from jail in Caldwell County. He was later captured while hiding in a nursing home in Ohio.

Adkison’s second mistrial was declared in Chillicothe in late February, based on statements made on the stand by a police officer from the Kansas City area.

His first mistrial came in January in Boone County, where he is accused of raping his former girlfriend in Columbia before going on the run.

Adkison would face up to 22 years in prison if he is found guilty of kidnapping and domestic abuse.