Judge Hands Bad News to El Chapo

Rejects Mexican drug lord's request for a new trial
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 3, 2019 5:14 PM CDT
No New Trial for El Chapo
In this Feb. 22, 2014 file photo, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the head of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, is escorted to a helicopter in Mexico City following his capture in the beach resort town of Mazatlan.   (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)

A New York judge has rejected a request for a new trial by the Mexican drug lord known as El Chapo, the AP reports. US District Judge Brian Cogan said in a written ruling Wednesday that a "mountain range of evidence" introduced against Joaquin Guzman overcame his claims that the jury was tainted. Cogan said any rational average juror would have convicted El Chapo based on overwhelming evidence at a trial that ended in February. Guzman was convicted of murder conspiracy and drug trafficking charges.

Defense attorneys sought a new trial, saying jurors improperly followed media coverage. They cited a Vice News report alleging jurors were aware of potentially prejudicial claims that were excluded from the trial. Cogan said the claims lacked "extremely prejudicial conduct" required for a new trial.

(More El Chapo stories.)

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