Jurors Cite Weaknesses in Murder Case

Caulfield's co-defendant, Zachary A. Johnson, 25, of White Plains, is scheduled to go on trial June 24.

No testified that what had been a typical Saturday afternoon erupted into violence when two men wearing ski masks entered the store on Old Fort Road. One, armed with a shotgun, ordered No and his brother to lie down.

The second man, who had a handgun, went into a back office to look for a safe, though the store had no safe, No said.

With one of the gunmen in the back office, No said, he and his brother struggled with the other. When the gunman returned from the office, No heard gunshots and passed out, he said.

Seong Hoon No was fatally wounded.

The state had no physical evidence, such as a fingerprint or DNA, linking Caulfield to the scene. The weapon was not recovered. Several witnesses saw the attackers inside and outside the store, but none identified Caulfield.

The prosecution's key witness was Joseph Caulfield Sr., the defendant's father. Caulfield Sr. testified that he identified his son on the surveillance videotape based on the body movements and build of the taller gunman.

Caulfield is the seventh murder defendant to be acquitted by a Prince George's jury this year. Among those acquitted was a construction worker who acted as his own attorney.

During the first three months of the year, 11 defendants in Prince George's were convicted of or pleaded guilty to charges of murder or manslaughter, Korionoff said.