Ancient grave robber acquitted of some counts in murder-for-hire case
MEDFORD, Ore. An amateur archaeologist has been acquitted on two counts that he hired a hitman to kill those involved in his earlier conviction for robbing ancient Indian graves. An Oregon jury did convict Jack Harelson on two gun charges. But it couldn't reach a verdict on four murder charges. A prosecutor says Harelson could be retried.
Harelson's defense attorney says the jury believed his client wasn't serious when he was taped discussing the planned killings of a retired judge, a state policeman and two others. The four were involved in Harelson's 1996 conviction for stealing ancient Indian artifacts.
Harelson pleaded guilty last week to charges of corpse abuse for his handling of two Indian children he dug out of a Nevada cave in 1996. Police found the remains without their heads in Harelson's garden.
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