by Matthew Russell Lee, Substack
LITERARY COURTHOUSE, Feb 20 – The day Honduras' former president was put on trial in the SDNY there were two groups of people in the courthouse with their eyes on the 26th floor.
Those who had waited to see this showdown, of an era of corruption and migration, were told to wait along a wall approaching the lobby; they were brought in groups large enough to fill each elevator.
Then there were the jurors. For them at first the questions were easy. Would a two or three week trial present a hardship? Those who said yes got to explain privately at sidebar, just Judge Castel and the lawyers.
Juan Orlando Hernandez, unlike when he pled for free lawyers and delay, was not allowed at sidebar. He stayed at the defense table, in a jacket and tie, staring into the laptop they had given him. Once he'd had so much more.
Already his brother Tony had rolled the dice and lost, here in SDNY, hit with life plus thirty years, still complaining about his lawyers. It could come to that for JOH.
But not yet. Which of these prospective juror might hold out and save Juan Orlando?
Kurt Wheelock, who had chronicled the trial of Tony Hernandez, and the guilty plea of Tigre Bonilla, tweeted the jurors' answers to Judge Castel's questions. Where do you live and for how long? What is your job and what are your hobbies? How do you get news?
It was like a fire hydrant of humanity. There was a lady from Haiti with two kids who liked Perry Mason. Another liked Chicago PD, a third avoided the news like the plague. Could that be his juror? JOH straightened his tie.
Continues with more details on Substack here
***
Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.
Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
