A Wayne County judge on Thursday declared yet another mistrial in the murder case against Efrain Medina after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict. It was the third jury trial in the five-year investigation into the death of 36-year-old Natalie Ramstrom, and once again her family walked out of the courthouse without an answer. The case has been shadowed by disputed evidence, missing files and repeated fights over whether prosecutors should even be allowed to keep going.
Third mistrial after long deliberations
Judge Anne Marie McCarthy pulled the plug on the latest trial after the jury, which had deliberated for six days, reported that it remained hopelessly deadlocked and could not agree on a verdict. She then set a new trial date for March 6, according to The Detroit News. Jurors had been weighing charges of first-degree murder and felony firearm against Medina, and people in the courtroom described a panel split over key parts of the prosecution’s timeline.
How the case unfolded
Ramstrom, 36, of Lowell, Ind., was found shot and wrapped in plastic in Medina’s River Rouge apartment in late October 2020. Medina took off, and authorities later tracked him for months before U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained him at the Texas-Mexico border in September 2021, WXYZ reports. He has been held in the Wayne County Jail while prosecutors attempt to convince a jury that the killing was premeditated. The case has drawn attention in part because of the cross-state investigation and the involvement of federal marshals.
Evidence disputes and prior mistrials
Medina’s defense team has repeatedly attacked the way River Rouge police handled evidence, alleging missing video, sloppy fingerprint collection and material that was never turned over. Two earlier jury efforts have already fallen apart, one that collapsed over evidence problems and another that ended with a hung jury, according to The Detroit News. Defense attorney Todd Perkins has urged judges to throw out the case altogether, arguing that those lapses undercut the state’s theory and that other people had access to Medina’s home. Prosecutors say they plan to re-examine forensic files and move forward only if they believe the evidence can support yet another trial.
Family reaction
Ramstrom’s relatives described the latest non-verdict as crushing and said the revolving door of trials has repeatedly reopened their grief. Family members say the constant court dates, testimony and delays keep the pain fresh. “These trials need to stop,” Ramstrom’s aunt Tracy Curtis told WXYZ, adding that Ramstrom’s mother needs peace after years of hearings.
With another trial date now on the calendar, prosecutors must decide whether to put Medina before a fourth jury, pursue a plea deal or seek some other resolution. The defense has already filed motions for dismissal and renewed its claims that key evidence was mishandled. In situations like this, judges sometimes schedule pretrial evidentiary hearings to sort out allegations involving missing or destroyed material before allowing a new jury to be seated. Any additional delay will only stretch out how long Ramstrom’s family waits for an answer that sticks…