Judge orders new trial for 3 men convicted of 1995 slaying in Cleveland

CLEVELAND (AP) — A judge here has ordered new trials for three men convicted of a 1995 slaying because of what she says was “malicious suppression of evidence” by an assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor.

Judge Nancy Margaret Russo’s ruling today came in the cases of Eugene Johnson Jr. and Derrick Wheat, both 37, and 36-year-old Laurese Glove, 36.

A jury convicted them of murder in 1996 for a fatal shooting in East Cleveland the year before. The men’s current attorneys say the now-retired prosecutor failed to tell defense attorneys about two young eyewitnesses and that he later ordered police not to turn over the boys’ statements. Police gave the statements to attorneys in 2013.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim McGinty is defending the prosecution of the men.