Chapo's Disco Look At His Trial

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

On the first day of the selection of the jury that must judge him in a New York court, the head of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquín el Chapo Guzmán, changed this Monday the federal inmate uniform for a retro look that reminded of the best times of the disco era of the seventies.

Although there are no images of the accused because the cameras are prohibited from entering the court, the five journalists who were allowed to continue the process inside the chamber of Judge Brian Cogan, provided a description of the narco kingpin's look this preliminary stage of his trial, which takes place in Brooklyn federal court.

According to the informants, El Chapo decided on a suit jacket and dark blue pants that he accompanied with a white shirt with a wide lapel that protruded above those of the jacket and that he wore open with the first two buttons unbuttoned, so you could see part of his chest. A brown belt was added to the set.

It was a look that, they said, reminded those of the disco era of the 1970s, like the ones popularized by actor John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.

The outfit chosen for this occasion was, however, less striking than the lavishly printed blue shirt he wore for the videos and photos of his famous interview with actor Sean Penn and actress Kate del Castillo.

Such was the fury that caused that shirt, that a store in Los Angeles put on sale presses inspired by the garment.

The accused was at all times attentive to the selection process for juries - always according to the journalists present - and regularly consulted with his team of lawyers. Through a headset, a translator was conveying the dialogue that was taking place in the room.

He was not seen to focus his attention on any of the 19 potential jurors who were interviewed this morning, of which at the moment none have been selected and of which five have been ruled out.

There was also no indication of any mental problems that his lawyers had alleged were inflicted on him by the strict solitary confinement that he has been subjected to in a Manhattan detention center since his extradition from Mexico in January 2017.

After a lunch break, the selection process is expected to resume this afternoon with another group of 20 potential jurors, who will also be interviewed individually.

In total, the court has summoned 100 anonymous citizens to find the 12 jurors and the six substitutes they need to start the trial, which, if there are no unforeseen events, will be launched on November 13.