PORT ARTHUR, Texas — The trial for a 33-year-old Port Arthur man charged for a 2018 murder at an apartment complex will be set for a future date after the jury failed to reach a verdict on Thursday.
Jury selection began Monday, and testimony started Tuesday for the trial of Joshua Henderson. Closing arguments started Wednesday afternoon and the trial is set to resume Thursday morning. The trial was declared as a mistrial Thursday afternoon.
The trial was held before the Honorable Raquel West in the 252nd District Court.
Henderson was arrested in November 2018 for the July 2018 murder of Floyd Dergent at the Prince Hall apartment complex in the 1000 block of 14th Street.
Related: Man wanted in Port Arthur murder
Officers reported to the shooting at the apartments after they received a report about a shooting on July 25, 2018 just before 10:30 p.m.
When they arrived, they found Floyd Dergent within complex near the southeast corner of the office building. He was on the ground suffering from at least two gunshot wounds. Police said he was shot in his leg and in the head. Dergent was pronounced dead at the scene.
Court documents say footage seen before the shooting showed there was a disagreement between the two.
The shooting was caught on the apartment's surveillance cameras. It showed a man moving towards the victim quickly, with an arm raised out as if holding a handgun, according to a probable cause affidavit. The footage showed Dergent falling. The suspect was later seen kicking Dergent once he's on the ground.
Video footage from earlier in the day helped locate and identify the suspect because it showed the suspect’s face.
During the investigation, a Port Arthur Police officer was also able to identify the suspect from the footage. She positively identified the shooter as the accused Joshua Henderson.
Police said numerous anonymous tips were phoned into the Port Arthur Police Department stating Henderson as the suspect.
Related: Suspect in July Port Arthur homicide found hiding in car's trunk in Dallas by U.S. Marshals
Henderson was arrested in November 2018 in Dallas for the shooting death of Dergent . In a 2018 media release, the Port Arthur Police Department announced that Henderson was arrested by U.S. Marshalls months following the murder after he was found hiding in the trunk of a car.
In 2018, Port Arthur Police spokesperson Detective Sadie Guedry said that the Port Arthur Police Department was looking for Henderson for a murder that occurred on July 25, 2018.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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From a November 2018 press release:
In the early morning hours of November 15, 2018, the US Marshal Service apprehended homicide suspect JOSHUA DARRELLE HENDERSON 4/5/1988, in Dallas, Texas. The US Marshal's located Henderson in the trunk of the vehicle where he was hiding. Henderson had an outstanding murder warrant for the brutal killing of Floyd Wayne Dergent. The homicide occurred on July 25, 2018, at 943 West 13th Street inside Prince Hall Apartment complex. We would like to thank the US Marshal Service along with those individuals who contacted Crime Stoppers with pertinent information.