El Chapo Wants New Trial After Reports That Jury Was Compromised

Of course, a man who escaped prison numerous times is not going to willingly accept a life behind bars. That's why it comes as no surprise that El Chapo will be seeking a new trial after being convicted of murder, conspiracy, and drug-trafficking charges.

According to the Associated Press, on Friday, Feb. 22, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's defense team made it known that they are looking into getting their client a retrial after reports of juror misconduct began to surface. This comes close to two days after VICE News reported that at least five jurors violated the rules of the court by following media reports and social media feeds throughout the three-month trial. The anonymous source that told VICE this information explained that they were exposed to potentially prejudicial material that was excluded from the trial. This includes the child rape allegations made against Guzman. The leak also claimed that another juror had a smartwatch that they used to look up a news story.

This led Guzman's lawyers to contact the Associated Press to express their concerns with the outcome of the trial.

"It’s clear we have to get them back into court and get some answers about some massive misconduct," Guzman's lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman said. "We hope it will lead to Joaquin Guzman getting the fair trial that he deserves."

In the hopes to get a fair trial, Guzman's attorneys want U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan to quiz each juror on their behavior during the trial period to "to determine the extent of the misconduct."