CBS News | Bibles, Jurors Don't Mix | May 26, 2003 13:54:06

Adams County District Judge John Vigil ruled Friday that Harlan’s death sentence for the 1994 murder of Rhonda Maloney must be set aside because his jurors impermissibly consulted Bibles during the sentencing phase of his trial. More specifically, the judge applied the current legal standard in Colorado and found after an evidentiary hearing that there was a “reasonable possibility that extraneous information or influence affected the verdict” against Harlan.

When I had jury duty we were allowed to have knowledge in our head to judge against. What is the matter with consulting material outside the courtroom. Are we supposed to be experts in everything?