A Dakota County judge declared a mistrial in Melody Little's murder trial over the Eagan street-racing crash that killed Reed Schultz and Finnian Cronin.

The jury told the judge exactly where it broke: causation, split 6-6 on what counts as a "substantial factor." Little's Durango never touched the Jeep or the Honda, and her lawyer says she backed off after seven seconds over 100 mph. Prosecutors say the race itself was the loaded gun. A second jury gets the same question in three weeks.

A Dakota County judge declared a mistrial Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, in the case against Melody Lynn Little, who is charged in the June 14, 2025, Eagan crash that killed Reed Robert Schultz, 19, of Savage, and his passenger, Finnian Thomas Cronin, 18, of Edina, the Pioneer Press and CBS Minnesota reported. Little faces two counts of third-degree murder and two counts of criminal vehicular homicide. Jurors deliberated about 16 hours over three days before telling District Judge Jaime Cork they could not reach a unanimous verdict, the Pioneer Press reported. A new trial is scheduled to start Nov. 2. CBS Minnesota gives her age as 25. The Pioneer Press gives both 25 and 24.

The jury's notes show where it got stuck. On Tuesday, the foreperson wrote that jurors were "divided 6-6" on causation, the element that requires the state to prove Little's conduct was a substantial factor in the deaths. "We have differing definitions of substantial factor," the note read, according to the Pioneer Press. Two more notes on Wednesday said the panel was still deadlocked. "After careful consideration, the jury has determined consensus cannot be made," the second note read. To convict on the murder counts, the state must also prove her driving was "eminently dangerous to others" and "evinced a depraved mind, without regard for human life."

According to the criminal complaints, as described by both outlets, a Jeep Compass driven by Schultz, a Honda Accord driven by Jordan John Wieland and a Dodge Durango driven by Little were heading south on Minnesota 149 (Dodd Road) from a car meetup in South St. Paul to another in Eagan just after 11 p.m. The Jeep and the Honda lost control near Minnesota 55 and went over a concrete median. The Jeep hit a pole and split in two. Schultz died shortly after reaching the hospital, and Cronin died July 1, 2025. Cellphone video captured the Honda's and Durango's speedometers at about 110 mph before the crash, the complaints say. Little stayed at the scene and called 911. Wieland left and was later found at a hospital. CBS Minnesota spells his name Weiland.

Assistant Dakota County Attorney Zach Kraemer told jurors in closing that "street racing is deadly" and compared it to Russian roulette, the Pioneer Press reported. "The race is the gun, the danger, the peril," he said, adding that the law does not require any contact between vehicles. "But for the street race, Reed Schultz and Finn Cronin would be alive," he said in rebuttal. Defense attorney Bruce Rivers told jurors the drivers "were not acting together," that Little stayed in her lane behind Schultz and slowed down, and that the case was "overcharged." "She did go over 100 mph, yes she did," Rivers said. "She went over 100 mph for seven seconds before she disengaged and slowed down." Little and Wieland both told police they were not racing.

Before trial, the judge refused the state's request to tell jurors about Little's earlier speeding tickets, the Pioneer Press reported. Wieland, 22, of White Bear Lake, faced the same four counts and entered a straight plea to both third-degree murder counts in April. He is set to be sentenced Nov. 20, when a judge will decide whether those counts run consecutively, for up to 30 years, or concurrently, with an 18-year maximum. The mistrial leaves every count against Little unresolved. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.