Court: Emails between judge, prosecutor didn’t spoil trial

ALLEGAN » A man convicted of criminal sexual conduct doesn’t deserve a new trial despite learning that the judge was sharing her opinion of the case through emails with the county prosecutor, the Michigan Court of Appeals said.

Daniel Loew had been granted a new trial, but the 2-1 decision by the appeals court reversed that decision Thursday.

“The record does not support even an inference that the emails provided any advantage or altered any tactics by the prosecution,” the court said.

An Allegan County jury in 2019 convicted Loew of criminal sexual conduct. Judge Margaret Zuzichbakker sentenced him to at least 20 years in prison.