‘El Chapo’ lawyers, seeking new trial, say jurors improperly followed news coverage
Defense attorneys say the Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman should get a new trial because jurors improperly followed media coverage of the sensational drug conspiracy case.
Guzman’s defense team said in court filings Tuesday that jury misconduct denied him the right to a fair trial.
Guzman was convicted last month of murder conspiracy and drug-trafficking charges.
The defense request cites a Vice News report that at least five jurors followed media reports and Twitter feeds during the three-month trial.
That report says jurors also were aware of potentially prejudicial claims that had been excluded from the trial.
The defense is asking the judge to hold a hearing and grant a new trial.
The U.S. attorney’s office is declining to comment.
Guzman faces life in prison at his June sentencing.
Full coverage: The saga of ‘El Chapo,’ one of the world’s biggest drug kingpins »
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