An 80-year-old crosswording juror caused a mistrial in a Florida Home Depot murder case.

A Florida judge has granted a mistrial in the Home Depot murder case due to an "unhinged juror."

An Escambia County judge declared a mistrial for Shelia Agee, who is accused of aiding her son in killing the mother of his child at a Pensacola Home Depot store in 2019, following more than five hours of deliberations earlier this week.

Judge Coleman Robinson informed WKRG that a juror did not take the case seriously during the evidence, which continued during deliberations.

According to WEAR News 3, the issues arose when juror Sallie Sue Smith was discovered with a crossword puzzle during trial.

On Tuesday, Smith was discovered working on a crossword puzzle during testimony. The following day, she was found using a different crossword puzzle during deliberation.

Smith stated to WEAR News that the puzzle aided her concentration, and she rejected any intimidating conduct in the jury room.

"Smith admitted to WEAR News that it was him who was caught on camera during the trial. He explained that he didn't realize it was wrong to do it, but he did it when he was concentrating and paying attention. The lighting in the courtroom made it difficult to see the bench or witness stand, but he could hear it clearly. Smith said he just did it without thinking and had no idea it was against the rules. However, when he was informed that he wasn't supposed to do it, he stopped. Today, when he went into the jury room, he found another crossword puzzle to keep himself busy."

Judge Robinson later learned that other jurors had safety concerns during deliberations.

"Robinson stated that the paper had a crossword puzzle on one side and was unsure about what was on the other side. He also mentioned that he had never seen a juror do a crossword puzzle during a trial."

Robinson questioned each juror individually and asked if they felt safe to proceed after security concerns were relayed to him.

Despite the testimony of nearly 20 witnesses, prosecutors were able to rest their case against Agee in less than two days. However, the trial was "hindered beyond repair" due to the jury's issues.

Smith declined to reveal her decision on the verdict, but denied any threatening behavior towards WEAR News.

"Smith stated, "We retired to the jury room and began deliberating. Immediately, I realized that I was the lone dissenter among 11 other individuals... Initially, it seemed reasonable. There was a lot of shouting, and I can shout, too.""

Smith stated that although he has a loud voice, he was drowned out by many individuals.

Sheila Agee, 51, was accused of first-degree premeditated murder after police found text messages suggesting she helped plan the shooting death of Brooklyn Sims, her son's child and co-worker, who was 18 years old.

Keith Agee, 20, was arrested by the Escambia County Sheriff's Office for the deadly Aug. 11, 2023 shooting of Sims.

The ECSO previously stated on Facebook that Keith Agee's mother, Sheila Agee, was aware of and participated in the plan to kill Brooklyn Sims. Furthermore, text messages between mother and son reveal her involvement in helping locate the victim.

The alleged text messages between the mother and son were posted on the department's Facebook page, with the claim that they were exchanged just before Sims was fatally shot.

Sheriff Chip Simmons previously stated on Facebook that the murder was unbelievable, but the fact that the mother knew about it and helped coordinate it is even more incomprehensible.

The case is expected to be back in court on Feb. 5.

Robinson stated that a new jury must be convened to hear the evidence and hopefully, the jurors will act with common sense, adhere to the law, treat their colleagues with respect and dignity, and reach a fair and just verdict for both parties.

Planet Chronicle Digital's Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.