Murder conviction overturned
by Nick Delgado
GUAM - A murder conviction against Anthony C. Flores has been overturned. Supreme court justices determined that the trial court abused its discretion by not questioning jurors about mid–trial publicity.
Flores was accused of beating Sherri Lea Taylor at the Hamilton Hotel in November of 1999 and then tying her up with a phone cord. While he went to trial and was found guilty, justices overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial be conducted. Flores contends an interview KUAM conducted with the government's first witness created highly emotional prejudicial publicity that violated his right to a fair trial. Justices were concerned that jurors were not polled about whether they had been exposed to our news report that contained statements from a witness that were not included during her testimony at trial.