NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge threw out the conviction of a former BP engineer convicted of deleting company text messages related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill and ordered a new trial.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge threw out the conviction of a former BP engineer convicted of deleting company text messages related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill and ordered a new trial.
Kurt Mix of Katy, Texas, was convicted of obstruction of justice. Prosecutors said he deliberately deleted text messages to and from a supervisor and a BP contractor to stymie a grand jury’s investigation of the spill.
U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval ruled Thursday the jury verdict was affected by remarks the forewoman overheard outside the jury room.