Supreme Court Ruled Music on Phone Wasn’t Evidence of Gang Ties

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington's Supreme Court has thrown out the convictions of three men in what police called a gang-related shooting, saying among other things that music on one defendant's phone was not evidence of gang ties.

The justices on Thursday unanimously granted a new trial for Ricardo Juarez Deleon, his brother Anthony Deleon, and Octavio Robledo, who were convicted of first-degree assault in a shooting in Sunnyside in 2009.

The court said statements the men gave to jail officials — in which they said they couldn't be placed in a cell with rival gang members — were made under the threat of bodily harm and thus should not have been used against them at trial.

The justices also said they were troubled that prosecutors suggested a song by the popular Latin band Los Tigres Del Norte, found on one defendant's phone, was evidence of gang membership.