Covington, La. -- A hung jury was declared Wednesday in the trial of Terreal Bierria who was accused of murder.
Thirty-one-year-old Bierria, a former NFL player from Slidell, was charged with the second-degree murder of his childhood friend, Soron Salter.
The incident happened in Slidell in October 2009. Investigators described a bloody scene where they said two large, athletic men fought. Bierria and Salter played football together at Salmen High School.
Bierria's attorney didn't deny that his client was there, but said he was defending himself.
"This was a very fierce struggle," Frank DeSalvo said back in October of 2009. "I believe that he was fighting for his life and he won the fight, and that's about what it comes down to."
During jury selection Monday, DeSalvo asked potential jurors if they understood the concept of "fighting for your life" and asked jurors, "is it wrong to win a fight for your life?"
St. Tammany Sheriff Jack Strain painted a very different picture at the time, calling Bierria the aggressor in the bloody, violent fight.
"We know that drugs were involved," Sheriff Strain said in October of 2009. "We believe that the altercation began over the drugs."
Bierria took his football stardom at Salmen to the University of Georgia, and was then a 4th round draft pick of the Seattle Seahawks in the 2002 NFL Draft. He wore #34 in two seasons in Seattle, and was cut by the team shortly after leaving them to help his family in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Prosecutor Scott Gardner asked potential jurors Monday if the appearance of a handsome pro athlete, dressed in a suit, would sway their opinion.
