A private investigator has been told to avoid criticizing the service of jurors who convicted a former Tulsa County reserve deputy in the shooting death of an unarmed man and to stop contacting jurors who don't want to be interviewed.
The investigator contacted jurors who convicted Robert Bates of second-degree manslaughter in the death of Eric Harris and recommended a four-year prison sentence.
Judge William Musseman said in a May 18 order that the court received calls from three jurors concerned that an investigator was contacting them.
Bates' defense attorney Clark Brewster told the Tulsa World that he asked investigator Rod Baker to interview jurors as he prepares for a federal lawsuit against Bates.
Baker declined comment, but Brewster said it's common to talk to jurors after a trial.