A three-day jury trial ended late Thursday after Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Valeri Haughton declared a mistrial. The jurors were hearing the case against former Indiana University student Noah A. Apgar. The jury deliberated for almost eight hours Thursday before returning to the courtroom, telling Haughton they were hopelessly deadlocked.
In Indiana if a jury cannot reach a unanimous decision after deliberations, the judge can declare a mistrial, which means the defendant is neither cleared or declared guilty. A new trial will be scheduled but the date has not yet been set.
The charges against Apgar come from events in September of 2024 when he was a student at Indiana University Bloomington. On two separate days, women who were IU students reported to Indiana University police that Apgar had assaulted them. Those led to five counts of rape as well as strangulation and criminal confinement charges against him.
Apgar pleaded not guilty to the charges. His bond was set at $250,000 and he bonded out.
There will be a separate trials for the cases brought by each of the women. The trial for the second case does not yet have a date or a judge appointed to it.
Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com.