Genaro García Luna faces five accusations against him, the majority for drug trafficking.
Photo: NY Eastern District Court / Getty Images
NEW YORK.- After a long and complicated selection process, the prosecutors and the defense agreed on the list of 12 members of the jury and the six substitutes for the trial of Genaro García Luna.
The holders are seven women and five men, while the substitutes are three and three.
Judge Peggy Kuo called each of the panel members to sit in their place for at least eight weeks. from January 23when the case and the position of the defense are presented in the voice of lawyer César de Castro.
García Luna faces five accusationsThe main one being leading a criminal enterprise for a long period, in addition to three for conspiracy to traffic cocaine and one more for false testimony before immigration authorities.
Among the jurors is a man who said he might be more inclined to believe law enforcement officers who testify, but after questioning by Judge Kuo said he would treat cooperators “fairly.” He also revealed that one of his brothers-in-law has had drug problems, but that would not affect his judgment on the García Luna case.
Another has an uncle who works for the NYPD and had concerns about pay, which were cleared up with his employer.
One more had generated doubts about the fact of deciding the legal future of García Luna only with the statements of a witness, without further evidence. After some hesitation, he stated that if Judge Brian Cogan ruled that a witness’s statement would be enough to decide, he could make his decision based on it.
One of the owners had acknowledged having heard about Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, in addition to having relatives who worked in the NYPD.
Another of the women acknowledged that her son faced legal proceedings for possession of a weapon, but that this would not affect the evaluation of the evidence in the case of García Luna.
One more said that she knew people who worked for the New York transportation system, in addition to considering that law enforcement officers “do a hard job”, for which she respected them, although that would not affect the evaluation that she made. of the case.
One of the substitutes also defended the law enforcement forces, such as the police, the DEA or the FBI, in addition to questioning whether the US was persecuting a person who had committed crimes in another country. After an explanation from the judge, the now member of the jury said that she was open to listening to the evidence and arguments for and against to make a decision.
days without trial
Due to the complexity of jury selection, Judge Cogan agreed that jurors with scheduled trips of one or two days could do so, Judge Kuo reported.
During that time, the trial will be suspended, so the duration period could be extended. It is estimated that it would last eight weeks, as revealed by Judge Kuo.
