Jurors in Blackwater case raise possibility of agreement on some charges, deadlock on others

Jurors in the trial of four Blackwater security guards may have reached agreement on some criminal charges while raising the possibility they may become deadlocked on others.

The former guards are accused in the killings of 14 Iraqis and the wounding of 17 others seven years ago in Baghdad.

The information pointing toward agreement on some charges and deadlock on others came in a note from the jury of eight women and four men who started deliberations Sept. 2, asking the judge for instructions.

One Blackwater guard faces a first-degree murder charge. Three others are accused of voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter and attempted manslaughter. They also face gun charges.

The maximum sentence for first-degree murder is life imprisonment. The gun charges carry mandatory minimum prison terms of 30 years.