Judge issues gag order in Michael George case

Freep.com

The Macomb County prosecutor's office will not be disqualified from the Michael George case, but to prevent tainting a future jury pool in George's second murder trial, a Macomb County Circuit Court judge instructed attorneys on both sides not to talk about the case.

Judge James Biernat enacted the gag order today during a hearing on the defense's motion to disqualify Prosecutor Eric Smith and his office from the case.

Earlier this year, George was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder in the 1990 cold case shooting death of his wife, Barbara George, at their Clinton Township comic book store. Biernat overturned the conviction, in part citing new evidence found after the conviction and prosecutorial misconduct.