No Verdict in Tuffree Trial After 4 Days

The jury in the Daniel Allan Tuffree murder trial spent a fourth day in deliberations Monday but did not return a verdict.

The 12 jurors left the Ventura County courthouse shortly before 4 p.m. and are expected to return for further deliberations this morning. They began discussing the case Wednesday afternoon.

The jury has been asked to determine the guilt or innocence of Tuffree, a 49-year-old former high school teacher charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a Simi Valley police officer.

Tuffree killed Officer Michael Clark 14 months ago during a gunfight with police at his Simi Valley home.

During a six-week trial that ended Wednesday, defense attorneys argued that Tuffree fired in self-defense after police barged into his backyard and shot at him when they saw that he had a gun.

Prosecutors, however, say Tuffree hated police and intentionally gunned down Clark when the officer approached his kitchen window. Police were sent to Tuffree’s house Aug. 4, 1995, to check on his welfare after reports that he was mixing Valium and alcohol and was possibly suicidal.