El Chapo jurors still have no verdict amid discussions of ‘personal murders’
Jurors mulling the fate of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman wrapped their third day of deliberations Wednesday without returning a verdict.
The largely uneventful day was marked only by a request for more testimony of cartel turncoats — and that the judge clarify if “personal” murders should be considered as evidence of drug trafficking.
“If members a drug cartel are killed from an opposite cartel for personal reasons, does that constitute a drug crime?” the panel asked.
The cheery-looking jurors were then brought into the courtroom, where Brooklyn federal court justice Brian Cogan addressed their question.
“If members of a drug cartel are killed for wholly personal reasons, not related to drug trafficking, that does not constitute a drug trafficking crime,” he told them.
Jurors were also provided with thousands of pages of transcripts, containing the testimony of government cooperators Jesus “El Rey” Zambada, Damaso Lopez Nunez, and Vicente Zambada Niebla.
Guzman, 61, was in court only briefly as Cogan addressed the jurors’ questions, though he appeared to be in good spirits.
If convicted, he faces up to life behind bars.
https://nypost.com/2019/02/06/el-chapo-jurors-still-have-no-verdict-amid-discussions-of-personal-murders/amp/