ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- It’s hard to find someone who doesn't know anything about the Charlie Tan case.

After more than 50 hours of deliberations over eight days, the judge in the Charlie Tan murder trial declared a mistrial on Thursday.

Tan, 20, was accused of second degree murder in the death of his father Jim in Feb. 2015 at the family home on Coach Side Lane in Pittsford.

With all the chatter in the community and social media, opinions have swirled. Some have asked if Charlie’s socioeconomic background and even his race may have played a role in the outcome.

“I think there were a lot of differences of the jurors. It would have probably been racially tenses. I think it would have swayed the jurors another way,” said Dorothy Paige of Rochester.

There are also questions about deliberations lasting as long as they did. It’s a question Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley has heard herself.  

“Perhaps Mr. Tan coming from Pittsford did make a difference,” she said. ”He was able to raise money to hire his own attorney. He was able to post bail. Sometimes defendants in the city aren’t able to do that. 

"Some defendants who are tried with murder have waited much longer than Charlie Tan for a trial date. Charlie Tan had a trial date shortly after the murder was allegedly committed in February. Are there perceived biases? Are there biases in the system? Yes there are. "

It was hard for some in the community to not support an Ivy League student, who was by all accounts active in his community. Within days of his arrest in February, upwards of $50,000 was raised to help him pay for his defense.

Through the trial and all the way through deliberations, Tan has had an overwhelming amount of support. He remains out of custody at this time and that in itself has also raised some concerns.

Monroe County Public Defender Tim Donaher, who admits he hasn't really followed the Tan trial, acknowledges how some people may see that as unfair.

“I certainly understand why some members of the community would say, how he could be out when a lot of other similar situated defendants would be remanded to custody and stay in jail pending the outcome of their case,” said Donaher.

For others, neither race nor socioeconomic status was ever a factor. They believed the circumstances surrounding the case played the only role in the outcome.

“Domestic violence has its own shape and form to it. As far as black, white, red, whatever creed you are, I don’t think so. I think they had a difficult time because of what happened and how it happened,” said Dr. Warren Meeks of Rochester.  

“We have to get back to whether the law was violated. Law and jurors should not judge a case by where a person lives or whether a person is in custody or not. They should judge it on the facts and the evidence,” said Doorley.