Michael Jackson Appears At El Chapo Trial

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

A trial that was considered the largest drug trafficker in the world is a very serious matter, which did not prevent laughter from being heard this Monday in the courtroom of Brooklyn, New York, in which Joaquín el Chapo Guzmán will be tried.

The reason was the appearance of an unexpected character among the group of 100 potential jurors from which the defense and the prosecution must choose 18 people, who will remain anonymous and whose names will not be revealed for security reasons.

This selection process is being carried out in a room without an audience to which only five journalists have had access, who in turn tell the rest of the press what is happening.

As they recounted, one of the potential jurors alleged as an impediment to serve in this trial conflict of agenda. When asked further, he revealed that he was an "official Michael Jackson impersonator, " and that he had to rehearse daily because he was going on tour in March.

That caused laughter among those present, and even one of the defense attorneys jokingly asked if he could dance the moonwalk. Beyond the joke, the prosecution expressed concern that the fact of carrying out such specialized work could easily identify him, and therefore expose him to being influenced.

Despite these doubts, they did not rule out the imitator and he remains on the list of possible juries. Others, however, were.

An Asian American confessed to being a fan of the series Narcos (Netflix), which tells the bloody story of Colombian drug trafficker Pablo Escobar, with whom parallels have often been drawn with El Chapo. The woman acknowledged that having seen that show could influence her judgment.

"Honestly, all those images [from the series] can come to mind," he said. "I may think of El Chapo."

Another middle-aged woman, who was also not selected after alleging that she was very afraid. "I heard that her family has said that she will go for the juries," said the lady, who did not seem convinced by the judge's explanations that this would not happen.

In addition to being anonymous, the 12 jurors and the six substitutes will be accompanied by federal bailiffs from their home to the court, and from the court to their home, during the trial, which can last four months. For that service they will charge to laugh.

The federal prosecution accuses Guzmán of leading a complex criminal organization based in Sinaloa that for three decades and through brutal methods - including thousands of murders - managed to enter the United States drug shipments valued at $ 14,000 million.

In total, he is charged with 17 charges for drug trafficking, criminal organization and bribery, of which if found guilty he could be sentenced to life in prison.