Story highlights Wexler was accused of threatening to behead and slit the throats of FBI agents

He testified that he relied on sarcasm and hyperbole to get points across on his blog

(CNN) A blogger from Orange County, California, who was charged with threatening to harm or kill FBI agents was acquitted of some charges Thursday, and jurors could not reach a verdict on the remaining counts against him.

Peter Ronald Wexler, who had been held without bond for nearly a year prior to trial, was ordered to be released by US District Judge Josephine L. Staton, who presided over his week-long trial in Santa Ana.

Staton declared a mistrial after jurors indicated they were hopelessly deadlocked on 16 of 20 counts against Wexler. He was accused of threatening to behead and slit the throats of FBI agents, including David Bowdich, who was formerly in charge of the bureau's Los Angeles field office.

Wexler, 50, testified that he relied on sarcasm and hyperbole to get points across on his blog, which dealt with topics that included US foreign policy in the Middle East, presidential politics and policing in America. He said he intended to be provocative in his posts, but none were intended to convey threats against Bowdich or any other agents.

In order to win a conviction, prosecutors needed to convince jurors that Wexler's comments were "a serious expression of an intent to physically harm or murder" Bowdich and other agents and that "a reasonable person" would interpret them that way as well.

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