Trial Opens in Alleged Snapchat Murder‑for‑Hire Plot Targeting Border Patrol Commander in Chicago
Jury selection began and opening statements were delivered Wednesday in the federal murder‑for‑hire trial in Chicago of Juan Espinoza Martinez, whose alleged Snapchat messages — including “10k if u take him down” alongside a photo of Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino — are central evidence. The government's first witness, informant and construction‑company owner Adrian Jimenez, testified he took the messages seriously and alerted a Homeland Security investigator, while the defense says the texts were neighborhood gossip and political anger from a financially strapped carpenter; Judge Joan Lefkow has barred prosecutors from portraying Martinez as a "ranking member" of the Latin Kings.
📌 Key Facts
- A federal murder-for-hire trial opened in Chicago with prosecutors and the defense delivering opening statements for defendant Juan Espinoza Martinez; the case alleges a plot targeting Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino.
- Central evidence are Snapchat messages in which Espinoza Martinez allegedly wrote "10k if u take him down" alongside a photo of Gregory Bovino; those messages were sent to his brother and to a man who became a government informant.
- The informant, construction-company owner Adrian Jimenez, testified as the government's first witness, saying he took the messages seriously, had previously worked as a paid informant, and forwarded them to a Homeland Security investigator.
- Judge Joan Lefkow barred prosecutors from presenting Espinoza Martinez as a "ranking member" of the Latin Kings at trial, citing lack of supporting evidence and thus limiting gang-related testimony.
- The defense argues the messages were "neighborhood gossip" and expressions of anger about immigration policy by a financially strapped carpenter (about $20 in his bank account), not evidence of a real murder plot.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
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- Prosecutors and defense delivered opening statements in Juan Espinoza Martinez’s federal murder‑for‑hire trial on Wednesday in Chicago.
- Key evidence consists of Snapchat messages in which Espinoza Martinez allegedly wrote '10k if u take him down' alongside a picture of Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, sent to his brother and a man who turned out to be a government informant.
- The informant, construction‑company owner Adrian Jimenez, testified as the government’s first witness, saying he took the messages seriously and forwarded them to a Homeland Security investigator after previously working as a paid informant.
- Judge Joan Lefkow has barred prosecutors from presenting Espinoza Martinez as a 'ranking member' of the Latin Kings at trial due to lack of supporting evidence, limiting gang‑related testimony.
- The defense is arguing the messages were 'neighborhood gossip' and anger about immigration policy from a financially strapped carpenter with about $20 in his bank account, not a real murder plot.