9th Circuit Court Tosses Conviction In Super Bowl Threat
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) -- A federal appeals court has refused to reinstate 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 in 2010.
Authorities say Havelock wanted to kill people at the 2008 Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.
Havelock was armed with an assault rifle when he reached University of Phoenix Stadium but he told authorities he had a change of heart and turned himself in.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed)
