Murdered clerk's husband dies, mistrial declared

DALLAS - A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday after jurors could not agree on whether or not the man accused of murdering a store clerk in The Colony is guilty.

Deon Kingston allegedly shot and killed Samira Siwakoti at the store she owned during an armed robbery last year.

Jurors saw surveillance video of the shooting and watched video of Kingston in the Frisco Police Department interview room. But detectives and crime scene experts also testified that some of the physical evidence from the scene was inconclusive when compared the Kingston’s DNA.

Siwakoti was the mother of two small children. Her daughters were 18 months and 3 years old when she died. Her husband was supposed to testify during the trial, but he passed away over the weekend.

Family and friends said they kept the news of Nabaraj “Raj” Siwakoti’s death quiet because they did not want to risk a mistrial because of the public attention. They also wanted time to bury him in private.

After a mistrial was declared anyway, they made a public announcement on Facebook and said the family will continue to seek justice.

“Our family asks for privacy and continued prayers as we get through this difficult time. Raj was a son, father, and brother but most of a truly good human being. Raj and Sami are together again and we will continue to move forward to seek justice for them both,” the family said in a statement.

The couple’s two young daughters are now being cared for by relatives.

Kingston is expected to be retried.