Jurors in the Dave Hawk murder and embezzlement trial will continue deliberating today after adjourning Wednesday without reaching verdicts.
The jury, which received the case about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday after 11 days of testimony, will decide Hawk's fate on 10 charges.
Hawk, 51, of Lemoore was charged in mid-2007 with embezzling from his three children's trust accounts and was awaiting trial in that case when he was arrested in May 2008 in connection with the murder of his ex-wife. Debbie Hawk, a Hanford resident, disappeared in June 2006. Her body has never been found.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys said they were not surprised that the jury did not return verdicts after about five hours of deliberations Wednesday, because approximately 260 exhibits of evidence were introduced during the trial.
At one point Wednesday afternoon, jurors sent a note to Visiting Judge Daniel Creed indicating they were missing a verdict form for count No. 9 of the 10 financial charges against Hawk. The form was absent because Hawk had pleaded no contest earlier this month to loan fraud.
Dave Hawk of Lemoore, left, is accused of murder in the June 2006 disappearance of his ex-wife, Debbie Hawk of Hanford, right.
Hawk is charged with one count of first-degree murder with a special enhancement of financial gain, three counts of embezzlement, five counts of tax evasion and one count of perjury for falsely stating under oath that he had filed a tax return.
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Hawk murder trial jury to start deliberations
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