Jurors are coming into their second day of deliberations Tuesday within the gun trial of Hunter Biden, who faces federal prices of proudly owning and possessing a firearm whereas he was a drug addict. They deliberated for about an hour Monday after the closing arguments earlier than they have been launched for the day.
Two of the three felony prices Hunter Biden faces are associated to accusations that he made false statements on a federal gun type about his drug use by saying he wasn’t a consumer of or hooked on any managed substance throughout a interval when prosecutors allege he was hooked on crack cocaine.
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He’s additionally been charged with possessing the gun unlawfully for 11 days earlier than Hallie Biden, with whom he was romantically concerned, discovered and discarded it. Hunter Biden pleaded not responsible to the fees.
The authorities sought to make the case that Hunter Biden knowingly lied about utilizing medication when he purchased the gun. Prosecutor Derek Hines advised the court docket, “Addiction will not be a selection, however mendacity and shopping for a gun is a selection.”
In closing arguments Monday, prosecutors stated the central difficulty was whether or not Hunter Biden was an illegal consumer or hooked on a managed substance when he bought the firearm. They reviewed witness testimony, textual content messages, pictures, financial institution withdrawals and his memoir. And they acknowledged the proof was very “private” and “ugly” however “completely needed” to show his dependancy.
Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, argued that Hunter Biden didn’t contemplate himself to be an addict when he purchased the gun. He had been in rehab and was making an attempt to be sober, Lowell stated, and to a drug addict, there is a distinction on a type between the query “are you a drug consumer” and “have you ever been a drug consumer?”
Lowell additionally argued there have been gaps within the proof of Hunter Biden’s use of medicine through the 11-day interval that he owned the firearm, saying that key witnesses, like ex-girlfriend Zoe Kestan, had no proof of his drug use. He stated prosecutors had not confirmed the massive money withdrawals have been used for drug transactions.
Lowell additionally pointed to testimony from Gordon Cleveland, the gun store worker who bought Hunter Biden the weapon and testified that he did not seem like below the affect when he purchased the gun.
While prosecutor Leo Wise didn’t immediately reference the primary relations who’ve been attending, he reminded the jury “the folks sitting within the gallery should not proof” and “their presence within the courtroom has no bearing on the case.” President Biden has not been within the courtroom, however first woman Jill Biden has attended practically daily. The Bidens’ daughter Ashley Biden, Mr. Biden’s siblings Valerie and Jimmy Biden and Hunter Biden’s spouse Melissa Cohen Biden all sat within the entrance row with the primary woman on Monday.
The prosecution known as a number of witnesses, together with a number of of the ladies in Hunter Biden’s life: ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, ex-girlfriend Zoe Kestan and Hallie Biden, the widow of his brother Beau Biden. Hallie Biden, a key witness, advised the court docket she “panicked” when she discovered the weapon and “simply needed to get rid” of the gun and bullets.
“I did not need him to harm himself or the youngsters to seek out it and harm themselves,” she stated. She testified that Hunter Biden was utilizing medication in October 2018 when he purchased the gun, and prosecutors confirmed texts that stated he was “sleeping on automobile smoking crack.”
Naomi Biden, known as by the protection, testified that her father “appeared nice” on the finish of Oct. 2018 and she or he didn’t spot any drug paraphernalia when she borrowed his truck. But she additionally stated she knew her father “was scuffling with dependancy,” telling the court docket that “after my Uncle (Beau Biden) died, issues obtained unhealthy.” She stated Hunter Biden by no means used unlawful medication in entrance of her. And she acknowledged she had by no means noticed what her father appeared like when he was utilizing medication.
