Mistrial in Murder Case Against Stanley Lloyd Jr.

The "giant puzzle" of exhibits and testimony in the murder case against Stanley Lloyd Jr. of Lakeside may be presented all over again—to a different jury.

Lloyd is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Christopher Carioscia, an El Capitan High School student whose body was found last year on the Barona Indian Reservation. The trial in Superior Court in El Cajon began Nov. 15.

On Monday afternoon, Judge John M. Thompson declared a mistrial, when the jury locked 10-2 in favor of a guilty verdict, falling short of the necessary unanimous vote.

. They have now been released from duty.

Prosecutor David Williams III told Patch that the judge and attorneys in the case will meet Thursday to discuss whether to proceed with a new trial and to set a date for jury selection to begin. The judge also has the right to dismiss the case, he said.

"A deadlocked jury is difficult for everyone involved," Williams said. "There's no resolution for either party."

Williams said he does not like having to bring witnesses in all over again.

One witness in particular could possibly testify in a second trial, whereas the first jury did not see him.

He's , Lloyd's cousin, who is a key witness concerning statements he recalls Lloyd making about Carioscia before and after the student went missing on Oct. 26, 2010. Montiel's preliminary hearing testimony was read to the jury during the trial but he did not appear in person. He was considered "legally unavailable" due to drug charges he incurred between the preliminary hearing and the trial.

"Montiel had a constitutional right not to incriminate himself," Williams said.

Montiel is not in custody at this time. Once his current case is fully resolved, he may be available to testify in person in a second trial, Williams said.

Carioscia's mother, Monika Pyskata, during the trial, following an arrest on drug charges. She was seated in the public area during closing statements because she had been released from Las Colinas Detention Facility. Her release had nothing to do with her testimony, Williams told Patch. 

Update Dec. 6, 2011 Monika Pyskata was booked into Las Colinas Detention Facility again at 1:13 a.m. Monday charged with possession of narcotic controlled substances.

During opening statements, Williams told the jury Pyskata "has a very bad drug problem," but "she loved her son." He said Pyskata and Carioscia's dad ran an East County prescription drug ring and used their son to fill prescriptions and sell Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug. The prosecution believes Carioscia had a bag full of Xanax the night he disappeared.

Witness testimony and cell phone records indicated Pyskata had called her son repeatedly in his final hours but could not reach him. She testified she drove to the reservation on the following morning, after she was notified that her son's car had been found burned.

Carioscia's partly decomposed body was found in December 2010 in a remote area of the reservation, . Lloyd was arrested in March 2011 and charged with first-degree murder, as well as felony murder for the use of a firearm, believed to be a .357 magnum. If convicted, he could serve 50 years to life in prison. He was 19 when arrested.

During closing arguments, Williams said that the case involved a "giant puzzle," with each piece of testimony supporting the rest and showing a picture of Lloyd killing Carioscia because he considered himself a "big shot" in the "small pond" of the reservation. Lloyd is a Barona Indian.

Defense attorney Roland Haddad characterized Lloyd as someone who drinks, does drugs and "talks nonsense" but is not a killer. He said there was no motive and no evidence that the two young men were in each other's company on the night Carioscia is believed to have died, Oct. 26, 2010. He also told the jury that there's no evidence the "murder weapon" presented by the prosecution was ever in Lloyd's possession.

Haddad was not available for comments regarding the mistrial.