Brancato jury says it is deadlocked

A New York judge ordered the jury that heard actor Lillo Brancato’s murder trial to continue deliberating Friday, even though it said it was deadlocked.

Brancato, an admitted drug addict who is known for his roles in the film A Bronx Tale and on the TV series The Sopranos, is accused of attempting to break into a Bronx home, catching the attention of an off-duty police officer next door who came out of his home to investigate and was shot by Brancato’s friend, who is now serving life in prison without the chance of parole.

Brancato testified during his own trial that he was high the night of the 2005 shooting and merely trying to let himself into his drug dealer’s house as he had done in the past. He insists he was not attempting to burglarize the home, as prosecutors contend.

Brancato was charged with felony murder, burglary and attempted burglary because he allegedly helped set off the chain of events that resulted in the officer’s death.

New York One quoted jurors as telling the judge overseeing the actor’s trial that they were deadlocked 11 to 1 Thursday.

The judge instructed them to give it another try Friday after a good night’s sleep, the New York television station reported on its Web site.