Trial for suspect accused of offering money for Bovino’s murder begins
Trial for suspect accused of offering money for Bovino’s murder begins
The trial of an alleged Chicago gang member accused of offering $10,000 for the murder of a top U.S. Border Patrol official began Tuesday.
CHICAGO - The trial of an alleged Chicago gang member accused of offering $10,000 for the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino began in federal court on Tuesday.
The backstory:
Juan Espinoza Martinez was charged with murder-for-hire last October by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Illinois.
The Department of Homeland Security said Espinoza Martinez placed a bounty on Bovino, the face of Operation Midway Blitz, the immigration enforcement operation that led to the arrest of hundreds of people around Chicago last fall.
Prosecutors said Espinoza Martinez allegedly spelled out his offer in Snapchat messages that included a photo of Bovino. He is alleged to have written "2K on information when you get him," and "10k if u take him down," according to court documents.
An alleged ranking member of the Latin Kings was accused of a murder-for-hire scheme in which he offered $10,000 for the killing of a senior U.S. Border Patrol official in a federal complaint on Monday. (U.S. Attorney's Office)
While the Department of Justice initially described Espinoza Martinez as a "ranking member of a Chicago street gang," Judge Joan Lefkow has since barred questions during the trial about "gang membership, gang affiliation, or gang affinity," according to a court order published last week.
The first task of the trial attorneys will be jury selection before opening arguments can begin.