AUBURN — A jury of six men and six women will continue deliberations Monday in the case of accused stabber Raikuez Melchoirre.

Despite receiving a note from the foreman later Friday afternoon that the group was “deadlocked,” Justice Carl Bradford refused to free the jurors, imploring them to find unanimity.

“Whether the verdict is ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty,’ all 12 of you must agree,” Bradford said. “It’s your duty as jurors to talk with one another and to deliberate with a view toward reaching a verdict, if you can do so without sacrificing your individual judgment.”

He then adjourned the court for the weekend.

The jury has appeared to struggle with its decision, particularly on the issue of self-defense, since it began its work after lunch on Thursday.

Throughout two and a half days of testimony, the prosecution portrayed the June 19, 2011, stabbing as a vicious attack, in which Melchoirre, 36, of Lewiston, repeatedly stabbed Richard “Buddy” Edwards Jr.

After his first stab wound, Edwards was hurt, bleeding and incapable of defending himself, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Matulis argued.

Defense attorney Maurice Porter painted an image of Edwards as a drunken thug and the incident as an “ambush.”

After drinking for hours at a party at 73 College Street in Lewiston, the two men ended up in a fistfight. Sometime after that fight ended, moments or minutes according to conflicting witness testimony, the two fought again and the knife appeared.

After only an hour or so of deliberation, the jury foreman asked Justice Bradford to repeat his instructions on self-defense. The jury also wanted a closer look at the buck knife recovered at the scene.

Minutes after picking up their work on Friday, the jury requested to re-hear the testimony of two people, witness Steven Luna and Richard “Buddy” Edwards Jr., the victim of the stabbing.

Luna attended the 73 College St. party that began with people drinking beer and ended with the bloody altercation. Edwards testified to stab wounds on his face, shoulders, knee, chest and abdomen.

On Friday afternoon, the jury asked again for more information on self-defense.

“There seems to be disagreement,” Bradford said. “I don’t want to get into the private workings of the jury. It would be inappropriate of me or anyone else to do. But your note has indicated to the difficulties you’re having agreeing upon a verdict.”

Bradford said they hadn’t spent an unusually lengthy amount of time deliberating.

“Responsible deliberation requires a thorough discussion of all the issues and points of view, ” he said. “The fact that you’ve taken this amount of time suggests that you are doing your job responsibly.”

If convicted, Melchoirre faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

The jury is scheduled to resume deliberations at 8:30 a.m. Monday.

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