{Benton, Kentucky}...A Marshall County Circuit Court jury deliberated nearly 4 1/2 hours Wednesday before acquitting former Murray State student Jerry Walker Jr. in connection with a deadly 1998 fire at Hester Hall, a Murray State University dormitory. Michael Minger of Niceville, Florida was killed in the fire. Walker had been charged with manslaughter, arson, assault and wanton endangerment. Authorities began investigating Walker after he claimed he found a letter that blamed someone else for the fire. A jury in 2001 deadlocked 10-2 in favor of acquitting Walker of Minger's death, and a mistrial was declared. Walker was charged again last September. After Minger's death, legislators passed laws requiring state universities to install dorm sprinklers and ordered campuses to report fires and crimes immediately.
