Johnson City ? For the second time, a southwest Kansas jury has deadlocked in a case against a couple accused of killing the woman’s ex-boyfriend.

After jurors couldn’t reach a verdict, prosecutors announced that the state would seek a third trial in the first-degree murder case of Chad and Shannon Floyd.

“We just feel very strongly that in spite of the fact that it’s a bodiless murder case, which makes it much harder for a prosecutor to get a conviction, we’re going to pursue it a third time,” said Kansas Assistant Attorney General Rick Guinn. “It’s not a situation where you simply walk away from the case just because it’s challenging.

Michael Golub of Johnson City is believed to have been killed on May 20, 2005, but his body has never been found. Prosecutors say DNA from stains on the Floyds’ porch matches Golub’s blood.

Golub and Shannon Floyd shared custody of a child, and Golub was last seen on his way to the Floyds’ rural Stanton County home to pick up the boy. His truck was found abandoned in a field a few days later.

Stanton County Clerk Bonnie Parks said the jury was split 7-5, but she didn’t say which way it was split.

Kurt Kerns, Shannon Floyd’s attorney, blamed the lack of verdict on rumors in a small town. Many residents in the town of about 1,400 know the parties in the case, and attorneys say that has contributed to the difficulty in reaching a verdict.

But he said it’s unlikely that the case will be moved for a third trial. Only defense attorneys can request changes of venue, and Guinn didn’t expect that to happen.

The jury deliberated three days before telling Senior Judge Jack Lively on Tuesday morning that it was deadlocked.

The Floyds’ trial in July 2007 ended in a hung jury.