An eastern Pennsylvania judge has granted a new trial to a man sentenced to death in the murder of a friend 8 years ago.
Forty-nine-year-old Bryan Galvin was convicted of first-degree murder in Berks County in the January 2006 shooting death of 32-year-old Kristofer Kolesnik.
Witnesses testified that Galvin shot the victim in the head and was driving to a remote area to dump the body when police stopped him for driving without headlights.
The Reading Eagle reports that Galvin's attorney appealed, saying several jurors had discovered information about Galvin's prior criminal history.
President Judge Paul Yatron ruled Monday that at least one juror researched the case and found that Galvin had been acquitted of murder in an unrelated case.
The state attorney general's office declined immediate comment.
