New trial granted for man convicted in spree that killed 5 teens in post-Katrina New Orleans
By APMonday, March 8, 2010
New trial for La. man convicted of killing 5 teens
NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana judge has ordered a new trial for a man convicted of murdering five teenagers in a 2006 shooting spree.
The killings prompted then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco to send National Guard troops back to New Orleans to help quell lawlessness as the city recovered from Hurricane Katrina.
Judge Lynda Van Davis also set aside 23-year-old Michael Anderson’s death sentence. Davis ruled that defense attorneys were never told about two key pieces of information: a videotape of the prosecution’s star witness and a plea deal with a jailhouse snitch.
In the videotape, the witness says she was at the scene of the shooting hours after it happened. The plea deal effectively reduced a convicted robber’s sentence in exchange for his testimony.
