Herald staff

QWhat happened?

A Snohomish County Superior Court jury deadlocked Thursday on whether Victor David, 60, of Marysville committed second-degree assault against his wife, Linda David, 52. At the same time, jurors found David, a Canadian citizen, guilty of being an alien in possession of a firearm. That felony carries a punishment of about a year in prison. David has already been locked up longer than that awaiting trial.

Prosecutors must decide whether to retry David on the assault charge. He remains behind bars at the county jail. A Dec. 11 trial date has been scheduled, but it is unlikely to occur then. Media coverage of David’s first trial could make it difficult to find a new jury in this county.

She continues to live at the Lynnwood nursing home that has been her home since being removed from the sailboat in 1997. She’s received surgery on her eyes, is no longer emaciated but is still unable to move on her own or care for herself. Linda David’s medical care is covered under a nearly $5 million trust fund that was set up after the state paid roughly $9 million to settle a lawsuit she brought against state social workers. The Davids are still legally married, but guardians for Linda David have obtained a permanent restraining order prohibiting her husband from contact. Provisions of Linda David’s trust also block Victor David from accessing any of the money earmarked for his wife.

Victor David still owns his dogs and most have been living at a private kennel in Pierce County. The most seriously ill dog, Contender, was euthanized this year. A misdemeanor animal mistreatment charge against David was dismissed after a judge ruled that police contributed, in part, to creating the unsanitary conditions the animals were found in when they arrested Victor David in May 1999, but did not remove his dogs from his boat for three more days.

It sank. The poorly maintained craft was tied up, unattended, off Priest Point near Marysville for several weeks after Victor David’s arrest. Leaks in the hull apparently caused it to slip below the waves.