A man who had been clamoring to get an autograph from Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and a woman who was shaken to tears by the prospect of weighing charges that could send the notorious Mexican drug lord to prison for life were among the prospective jurors dismissed Tuesday in the upcoming trial for the cartel kingpin.
The man, a native of the Colombian city of Medellín who had been questioned Monday in Brooklyn federal court, was tossed Tuesday on the second day of jury selection after he asked a court security officer for Guzman’s John Hancock — and was ultimately denied.
Before being dismissed, Guzman defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman attempted to make a case for the potential juror, telling Judge Brian Cogan, “I have an autograph of Charles Manson and two leaders of Hamas and obviously I’m not a big fan of them.”
“He may just be interested in the autograph of infamous people, like me,” Litchtman added.
The prospective juror confessed when asked by Cogan if he did ask for Guzman’s autograph, saying, “That’s right, yes” and eventually admitting, “I’m a bit of a fan” — a statement to which Guzman, sitting only feet away, had no reaction.
Guzman, however, did find it absolutely hilarious that another potential juror’s mother was so distraught about her daughter possibly being involved in the high-profile trial that she wanted to move.
“The prospective juror is in tears,” Cogan told the court after meeting with the woman in private.
Cogan continued: “She lives with her mother and when she told her mother what she’s doing, her mother said, ‘We’ve got to move and get a new house.’”
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That’s when Guzman, 61, wearing a dark blue suit and large plaid-patterned tie, broke out in quiet laughter.
“She was worried the pressure on her mother will be injurious to her health … the tears were extensive,” Cogan said.
Meanwhile, a woman in her 20s was also among the prospective jurors tossed after she told the judge she “got a little freaked out about a movie about someone trying to kill a juror,” which inexplicably caused her to Google “his name and kill jurors,” she said, referencing Guzman.
She then said she saw an article that said Guzman “promised not to do that,” but noted “even that statement made me nervous.”
A Michael Jackson impersonator was also one of the potential panelists to be tossed because his career is too identifiable.
As of Tuesday afternoon, a total of 58 potential jurors had been questioned and 27 of them had been excused.
Guzman faces charges of funneling more than 200 tons of narcotics into the US through his lucrative cartel and employing hitmen to rub out witnesses and rivals.
The trial is expected to last as long as four months. Opening statements are expected Nov. 13.
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