On third try, jury acquits man of murder

ATHENS - A 23-year-old man was acquitted of murder and convicted of aggravated assault after the jury twice returned verdicts the judge ruled were inconsistent. <br> <br> Duntay Easley was sentenced Friday to 17 years in prison in the April 2001 shooting death of James Ralph Goss, 31. Easley also was convicted of possession of a firearm in the commission of a crime. <br> <br> The jury first found Easley guilty of aggravated assault and involuntary manslaughter, but Clarke County Superior Court Judge Joseph Gaines said the verdict was ``mutually exclusive.&#39;&#39; He later threw out a second verdict as inconsistent. <br> <br> After the sentencing, District Attorney Ken Mauldin and defense attorney David Montgomery said they had never seen such problems with a jury verdict. <br> <br> ``The way it was presented to them, a lot of the charges were tied together,&#39;&#39; Montgomery said. ``It made it a confusing verdict to try to render.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Easley was acquitted four years ago in the 1997 shotgun slaying of 49-year-old Albert Bell.