PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The jury went home for the night without a verdict in the retrial for a man convicted of murder 18 years ago.

Terrell Johnson has been serving a life sentence for allegedly killing Verna Robinson, of Hazelwood, in 1994.

Johnson was just 19 in 1994 when he was charged in the death of Verna Robinson. Investigators say she was targeted because she was going to testify against him. Johnson was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Around the same time, Harold Cabbagestalk was convicted of conspiracy –not the murder – and the victim’s family was upset because Cabbbagestalk was also implicated in the murder of the victim’s brother too.

“I’ve got to eat this. I’ve got to eat this, but God’s gonna take care of him,” Barbara Robinson, the victim’s mother, said back in 1996.

Barbara Robinson was back in court today because Terrell Johnson got a new trial. A witness came forward recently claiming a key witness at the first trial was lying.

“It was pure torture to listen to this testimony,” she told KDKA-TV. “They had it turned all the way around.”

But the family of Terrell Johnson was back in court too. They’ve held rallies recently claiming Johnson served 18 years in prison as an innocent man.

“There are people who are incarcerated for crimes they did not do and Terrell is one of them,” Saundra Cole, Johnson’s wife, said. “I trust God that we will prevail today.”

More than three hours after receiving the case, the jury went home for the evening. They will get back to work on the case at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

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