Mistrial declared in 2015 Hilton Head murder case after jury fails to reach verdict

A mistrial was declared Thursday in the murder trial of a Bluffton man accused in the October 2015 shooting death of a Hilton Head Island man, according to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

The jury failed to reach a verdict in the case against Brian Allen Jr., 24, charged in connection with the Oct. 22, 2015, murder of 30-year-old Charles Miller, who was shot outside a residence on Snider Walk and later pronounced dead at Hilton Head Hospital.

Allen was arrested the following day around 9 p.m. at the Magnolia Motel in Hardeeville by Hardeeville police and the U.S. Marshals Service Southeastern Fugitive Task Force, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

A handgun was recovered during Allen’s arrest when investigators searched his hotel room.

Investigators said that a possible motive for Miller’s death may have been an armed robbery.

Jury selection for the case began on Monday, and the trial began Tuesday morning before Circuit Court Judge Brooks P. Goldsmith, according to the Solicitor’s Office.

Information on when the trial will be rescheduled has not yet been released.

According to the Beaufort County Detention Center’s website, Allen remains in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center.

This story was originally published May 25, 2017 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Mistrial declared in 2015 Hilton Head murder case after jury fails to reach verdict."