SACRAMENTO ? Jurors were unable to decide Friday whether to impose the death penalty on two convicted leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang, prompting a federal judge to declare a mistrial and giving the pair life in prison.

The same jury convicted Barry “The Baron” Mills, 58, and Tyler “The Hulk” Bingham, 59, in July. Jurors were then asked to determine whether the two should be sentenced to death or life in prison without possibility of parole.

After 3 1/2 days of deliberations, they told the judge Thursday they were deadlocked, but he ordered them to return to the jury room and try to resolve their differences. A day later, the panelists said they would not be able to reach a unanimous decision.

The judge declared a mistrial in the sentencing phase of the trial, meaning the two defendants will serve life in prison without parole for murder, racketeering and conspiracy.