Pima County prosecutors are no longer seeking the death penalty for a 31-year-old Tucson man accused of gunning down a young couple three years ago.
Marco Glaser is accused of shooting to death Brian Brown, 25, and Guadalupe "Lupita" de la Cruz, 23, in July 2007.
Prosecutors took their case against Glaser to trial last month, but jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision, forcing Judge Charles Sabalos to declare a mistrial.
The jurors split 10-2 in favor of a conviction.
Glaser's new trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 16.
Prosecutors say Glaser shot the couple from the back seat of de la Cruz's mother's car, then chased de la Cruz 22 feet as she tried to flee. Brown was shot twice in the face; de la Cruz was shot in the torso while inside the car and in the head outside the car.
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Jurors watched a surveillance tape showing muzzle flashes and a shadowy figure chasing de la Cruz.
The prosecutors said Glaser then drove to Brown's house and abandoned the car in the garage with Brown's body still inside.
The defendant's attorneys contended the couple dropped Glaser off before their deaths and were slain by a stranger.
In addition to two counts of first-degree murder, Glaser is facing three aggravated-assault counts over accusations that he chased friends of the couple away from Brown's house with a gun after the slayings.
Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com
