The Supreme Judicial Court found that prospective jurors were not questioned thoroughly enough by the trial court to insure they didn’t have a bias against Thomas Toolan III.
Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe says a decision like this comes from the media turning a tragedy into entertainment for the masses. The SJC also noted the island’s insular community.
Toolan, a former Citigroup executive, was convicted of killing Elizabeth Lochtefeld in 2007.
The court also noted that many of the people in the jury pool had either direct ties to the victim's family, or close ties to potential witnesses in the case.
The murder was the first on Nantucket in more than two decades.
The SJC has ordered a new trial.
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