Houston ? The judge in the Arthur Andersen LLP obstruction of justice trial ruled Friday that jurors did not have to agree on who committed the crime as long as each of them believed somebody did.

U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon’s decision, a victory for prosecutors, means the panel can disagree on which Andersen employee destroyed Enron Corp.-related documents last fall as long as all think someone “acted knowingly and with corrupt intent.”

The ruling could remove a stumbling block for a jury that earlier this week told the judge it was deadlocked.

Harmon said she couldn’t find a parallel case.

“If someone knows of a case that’s directly on point, I would really urge you to give me the (citation) right now so I don’t make a mistake and rule incorrectly,” Harmon said before announcing her decision.

Following her ruling, lead Andersen attorney Rusty Hardin asked for a mistrial. Harmon denied the request.

Jurors recessed for the night without reaching a verdict. They were to resume deliberations for a tenth day today.

If convicted, Andersen could face fines, probation and barred be from auditing public companies.

The trial started May 6 with jury selection; deliberations began June 6.