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'El Chapo' is facing life in prison. Here's why he may get a new trial.
Also:
• Claims in El Chapo case highlight perils of ‘Googling juror’ (Associated Press)
• El Chapo’s lawyers say they’ll ask for a new trial due to juror misconduct. Here’s what could happen next. (Vice News)
______________________________________________________________________
Source: Washington Post
‘El Chapo’ is facing life in prison. Here’s why he may get a new trial.
By Deanna Paul February 22 at 5:50 AM
At the start of every jury trial, it’s standard practice for the presiding judge to give jurors a set of preliminary instructions.
U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan took it a step further during the high-profile trial of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Trial transcripts recount that Cogan gave three directives to the jury just before 5 p.m. on Jan. 30, immediately after the prosecutor concluded the closing argument. They were the same rules he had repeated most, if not all, days during the three-month trial:
“Stay away from any media coverage.”
-snip-
Any judge would be loath to overturn a conviction, or order a new trial, in such a high-profile case (particularly where extraordinary government resources were brought to bear, partly during the month-long government shutdown).
But if true, the claims of widespread misconduct pose a viable threat to the conviction secured by federal prosecutors a week ago.
-snip-
By Deanna Paul February 22 at 5:50 AM
At the start of every jury trial, it’s standard practice for the presiding judge to give jurors a set of preliminary instructions.
U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan took it a step further during the high-profile trial of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Trial transcripts recount that Cogan gave three directives to the jury just before 5 p.m. on Jan. 30, immediately after the prosecutor concluded the closing argument. They were the same rules he had repeated most, if not all, days during the three-month trial:
“Stay away from any media coverage.”
-snip-
Any judge would be loath to overturn a conviction, or order a new trial, in such a high-profile case (particularly where extraordinary government resources were brought to bear, partly during the month-long government shutdown).
But if true, the claims of widespread misconduct pose a viable threat to the conviction secured by federal prosecutors a week ago.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/02/22/el-chapo-was-facing-life-prison-heres-why-he-may-get-new-trial/
5 replies
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Ignoring the Judge's precise instructions!
This makes me very angry. A huge effort went into this trial, and if the actions of those jurors messes the whole thing up....
Words fail me as to what should happen to them.
IF it did happen, then those jurors involved would need to face prosecution.
Plus severe penalties.
This is almost too horrible to contemplate.