ORLANDO, Fla. — The woman accused of causing a mistrial in a major death penalty case in Orange County appeared in court Thursday morning.
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She was one of the jurors in the resentencing trial of Bessman Okafor last month.
However, the judge was forced to declare a mistrial, when the juror told him she spoke to a friend about the case.
The judge said that woman lied to his face.
Not only did she violate the judges orders, but she also admitted to lying to the judge that she didn’t have contact with a friend over family member when she entered the courtroom.
Kayla De Pena refused to answer questions from Channel 9 outside the Orange County Courthouse.
But she did answer the judge in the courtroom.
Read: Juror named in Okafor mistrial case, state attorney’s office to interview entire panel
During deliberations last month, she told the judge she discussed the case with a friend causing a mistrial.
Now she’s charged with direct and indirect contempt of court.
De Pena could be forced to pay steep fines and reimburse court costs.
Documents show the State Attorney’s Office spent nearly $8,900 on the trial, while the defense spent almost $25,000.
Other costs include the $1,700 spent on hotel rooms for the jurors.
De Pena could also be forced to pay a fine for the crime and spend six months behind bars or 195 days which is the amount of time the jurors spent on this case.
De Pena is set to return to court in January.
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