The weapons possession trial against Hunter Bidenson of the current president of the United States, Joe Biden, began this Monday in a court in Wilmington (Delaware) with the selection of the jury and with the presence of the American first lady, Jill Biden.
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The panel is made up of 12 people, but four others were chosen as substitutes, pointed out the chain cnn.
Among the reasons why some people were rejected to serve on the jury was that They argued that they knew the Biden family “quite well” or that they could not be impartial because they already had an opinion of the accused based on what was published by the media.
Hunter Biden is the son of the president’s first wife, the late Neilia Biden, and could end up in prison if found guilty. The president’s current wife went to court to support him.
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Hunter Biden accompanied by his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden.
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Biden’s son is accused of lying in October 2018 when he did not acknowledge that he used drugs on a form to purchase a .38-caliber Colt Cobra revolver, which he then kept for 11 days.
His lawyers asked to postpone the trial to have time to find more witnesses and review the evidence provided by prosecutors, but Delaware District Judge Maryellen Noreika denied the request.
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This Sunday, Noreika also dealt a setback to the defense of the president’s controversial son.
The president of the United States, Joe Biden.
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Lawyers were also prevented from using a key piece of evidence, in their view, an altered version of the federal firearms form that Hunter Biden filled out when he purchased the gun and that was modified in 2021 by store employees.
Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to the three charges against him for the illegal purchase and possession of weapons, which entail a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison, although sentences are usually shorter for those without a criminal record.
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The third crime charged is possession of that weapon for 11 days.
Hunter Biden, 54, publicly acknowledged that For decades he had struggled with alcohol and drug addiction, which was worsened after the death of his brother Beau Biden in 2015 from a brain tumor.
When he bought the gun he was immersed in a spiral of depression after having divorced Kathleen Buhle, with whom he had three children and, in addition, he was going through a particularly difficult time due to his addiction to crack, as he narrated in his memoirs ‘Beautiful Things’, published in 2021.
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Hunter lost his mother and sister in a car accident.
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Joe Biden spoke this Monday about the start of the process without wanting to enter into evaluations: “As president, I do not and will not comment on pending federal cases, but as a father, I have unlimited love for my son, trust in him and respect for his strength”he said in a text published shortly after the start.
The president’s son faces another trial in California in which he is accused of having evaded paying $1.4 million in taxes.
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