Attorneys for Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman said the convicted drug kingpin will seek a new trial in light of an interview in which one of the jurors who convicted the notorious Mexican cartel leader admitted ignoring the judge’s orders not to read media reports about the case.
The juror, who has not been identified, told VICE News in an exclusive interview that at least five members of the panel reviewed and discussed news reports and social media posts about the case during the trial and jury deliberations.
“The article states that multiple jurors engaged in misconduct by intentionally violating the Court’s direction to ‘stay … away from media coverage, not doing any research on the internet or otherwise and [to not] communicate anything about the case to anyone,'” Guzman attorneys said in a letter to the court on Friday.
“Like anyone else charged with a crime in America, Joaquin Guzman deserves a fair trial, with a verdict decided by an impartial jury,” lead Guzman attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said. “This clearly was not the case here.”
Read more at ABC News.
{Matzav.com}
