Mexican drug lord, El Chapo promises not to kill any jurors ahead of his trial in court
Notorious drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán promises he won’t
kill any jurors seated in his upcoming federal court trial, arguing it’s
therefore unnecessary to keep them anonymous and under armed guard as
prosecutors have asked.
Affording any special protections to the panel “sends the message to
each juror that he or she needs to be protected from Mr. Guzmán. From
there, members of the jury could infer that Mr. Guzmán is both dangerous
and guilty,” defense attorney A. Eduardo Balarezo wrote in a recently
filed motion.
Prosecutors have asked Brooklyn Federal Court Justice Brian Cogan to
impanel an anonymous jury in the infamous cartel leader’s September
trial, citing his long history of violence and instances in which he’s
believed to have tried to whack past witnesses. They’ve also requested
that jurors be kept partially sequestered and subject to armed escort to
and from a safe location during the three- to four-month trial.
The Sinaloa Cartel leader faces a rash of charges, including criminal
enterprise and international cocaine trafficking. Balarezo says the
government is basing its fears on mere allegations of Guzmán’s violent
behavior, based on “untested and suspect statements from cooperators
seeking to reduce their own sentences.”
The lawyer adds that instead of enlisting an anonymous jury, jurors
names could just be kept from the kingpin and media could be barred from
reporting their identities.
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