Years later, court orders a look at 2010 jury deliberations

DETROIT (AP) - A federal appeals court says deliberations in a 2010 Detroit homicide trial should be re-examined to determine if jurors’ use of the internet spoiled the verdict.

A judge had ordered a new trial for Darrell Ewing, who is serving a life sentence for a gang-related shooting on a Detroit street. But the appeals court this week says a hearing first should be held to determine what effect, if any, the online information influenced jurors.

A juror says two other jurors looked up gang codes and gang history on the internet and shared the information during deliberations.

The appeals court acknowledged that “jurors move and memories fade” more than eight years after a trial. Some jurors might be deceased.