Puente Jury Making Progress on Verdict

MONTEREY — The jury in the serial murder trial of Sacramento landlady Dorothea Puente reported Wednesday it was making headway in arriving at a verdict, and the judge ordered the panel to keep trying.

Puente, 64, is charged with nine counts of murder and lesser charges connected with the deaths of nine of her boardinghouse tenants between 1982 and 1988.

On Monday, after a five-month trial and 11 days of deliberations, the jurors notified Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael J. Virga that they were deadlocked on all nine counts and asked for instruction.