SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court has overturned the conviction of an Arizona man accused of planning a massacre at the 2008 Super Bowl before changing his mind.
A full 11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the rambling statements mailed by Kurt Havelock to media outlets before aborting the attack did not constitute a specific threat.
Havelock was convicted in 2008 of mailing threatening messages, but a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit overturned the conviction last year.
The Los Angeles Times reports (http://lat.ms/yMTCCH) the re-hearing of the case by 11 judges focused on whether Havelock’s angry letters could constitute a genuine threat.
