22 July 2010 :

A Broward County jury recommended life imprisonment rather than capital punishment for Omar Loureiro for the 2001 brutal slaying of James Lentry, 57. Loureiro, 47, white, on may 22, 2009 was returned from death row and granted a new trial because of improper communications between his first judge and prosecutor during his 1st trial 3 years ago.. Loureiro should not be sent back to death row for nearly decapitating a man in 2001, jurors and Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Lucy Chernow Brown decided. The new trial came about after allegations arose that Loureiro's former judge, Ana Gardiner, and former prosecutor, Howard Scheinberg, dined together and joked about the case during the trial. It was later learned that Gardiner and Scheinberg exchanged hundreds of cell phone calls and text messages. Scheinberg has since moved into private practice. And Gardiner, rather than face a misconduct complaint that arose from the matter, retired from the bench.