A judge declared a mistrial Thursday in the case of James Lemon and Venda Johnson, who were accused of killing a pizza delivery man 18 years ago. 

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard Romero said in court that evidence relevant to the case, a witness statement recording, did not come to light until Monday.

“We just recently received a third recording of one of the key prosecution interviews that had not been turned over,” Cynthia LeGardye, Johnson’s attorney, told the Post. “We thought we had everything, and there was a report that discussed what was turned over, but we didn’t have everything on it.”

“The evidence presented Monday was an interview stating that the suspect was someone other than James Lemon,” Lemon’s attorney, Robin Perry, told the Post. “Johnson’s cousin was interviewed and said Johnson committed the crime with another person.”

Los Angeles District Attorney spokeswoman Sarah Ardalani said the evidence had been submitted to the court, but the defense did not review it until Monday. 

“The defense requested from the judge additional time to review evidence, but because the jury was already in panel, the judge declared a mistrial,” Ardalani said.

Lemon and Johnson were ordered to appear in court on September 22 for a pre-trial hearing.

Murder Trial Set to Begin Today for Two Men Involved in 1995 Cold Case

11:34AM  |  Two men accused of the killing of a pizza delivery man 18 years ago are scheduled to stand trial at the Superior Court in Long Beach today.

Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) officers arrested James Lemon and Venda Johnson last September in connection with the murder, which occurred on November 22, 1995. Lemon was 17 years old at the time of the murder and Johnson was 16.

Police said that on that day, the day before Thanksgiving, Renato Teniente sat in his car after delivering a pizza to a house in the area of 55th and Paramount in Devenport Park. Two men then approached Teniente, who was 60 years old, and attempted to rob him before shooting him in the upper body, police said.

LBPD eventually identified two men in connection to the incident, but the case went cold due to a lack of witness cooperation, police said. The case was reopened last year, and Lemon and Johnson were identified.

Lemon was located and arrested in Las Vegas on Sept. 19, 2013 by an FBI task force agent, police said. He was 34 at the time of his arrest.

Johnson, also 34 at the time of his identification, was already serving a life sentence for a separate murder at Buena Vista State Prison in Colorado, police said.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.