State v. Abdi

¶ 1. Following a jury trial, defendant — a Somali Bantu immigrant to Vermont — was convicted of one count of aggravated sexual assault on a child. He moved for a new trial based, in part, on a claim of jury misconduct resulting from a juror’s acquisition of information on the internet concerning Somali culture, a subject that played a significant role at trial. The trial court held a hearing, questioned the jurors, and issued a written decision denying the motion. The court concluded that although the extraneous information had the capacity to affect the jury’s verdict, it was harmless. For…