John Travolta Bahamas extortion case ends in mistrial

The judge in the Bahamas in the John Travolta extortion case has ordered a retrial because of possible juror misconduct.  Travolta’s son Jett died in the Bahamas aged 16 in January following a seizure. Pleasant Bridgewater and Tarino Lightbourne are accused of trying to extort $25m from Travolta over his son’s death.  The actor testified in the original trial against the pair and admitted for the first time that Jett was autistic.

The paramedic Lightbourne, claimed to have a medical document that Travolta signed, requesting his son be driven to the airport so he could fly the boy for treatment in Florida rather than go to the local hospital in Freeport. One of the more compelling moments of the trial occurred when Travolta stoically told the jury he did not read the document he signed because, “Time was of the essence.”
A retrial was ordered late on Wednesday after an MP declared publicly that Ms Bridgewater had been cleared while the jury was still deliberating. Supreme Court Justice Anita Allen said she was reluctant to order a new trial but had to do so “in the interest of justice”.

She said she was concerned about possible “communication” from the jury room – raising the possibility of jury misconduct.