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In a short-lived trial unfolding in Chicago, the case of a man accused of placing a bounty on Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino’s life moved swiftly. The proceedings began and concluded on Wednesday, following the jury selection the day before.
Adrian Jimenez, a pivotal figure in the case, took to the witness stand on Wednesday morning. Despite his noticeable limp, Jimenez’s testimony was crucial as he was the recipient of the Snapchat message that brought the case to light.
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Jimenez, who has a history of working as a government informant, candidly acknowledged receiving payments for information in the past, though he insisted that this was not the case in this particular instance.
During the trial, the court was presented with a segment of a recorded interview where Juan Espinoza-Martinez, the defendant, staunchly denied any intentions of orchestrating a hit against Commander Bovino.
“I’m not hiring anybody. I don’t know anybody who does that. I’ve never done anything like that,” Espinoza-Martinez stated, maintaining his innocence during an interrogation on October 4, a day after his arrest. He had been accused of sending a concerning Snapchat message to a construction company owner with whom he occasionally worked.
“I’m not hiring anybody. I don’t know anybody who does that. I’ve never done anything like that,” said Espinoza-Martinez as he answered investigators questions on October 4, a day after being arrested for sending a Snapchat message to a construction company owner he occasionally did work for.
A screenshot of the Snapchat message showed the following words:
“2K on information when you get him.”
“10K if u take him down.”
“LK on him.”
The message, accompanied by a picture of Bovino, forms the basis of the government’s prosecution of Espinoza-Martinez, who is charged with one count of murder for hire. “LK,” by Espinoza-Martinez’s own admission, means Latin Kings. However, sending the Snapchat message is not enough to convict.
“This case turns almost entirely on the question of intent,” ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst Gil Soffer said. “Did this defendant intend to solicit murder?”
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Because Snapchat messages disappear, investigators have no follow-up to that message, only the one picture of the telephone screen provided by their witness.
Defense attorney Dena Singer elicited an exchange on cross-examination:
“You’re not someone who commits murder for hire right?” Singer asked.
“No,” Jimenez responded.
“Juan never said to you, hey why don’t you go do this?” Singer asked.
“No,” Jimenez answered.
The prosecution’s case has been made much more difficult after Judge Joan Lefkow forbade them from asking Espinoza-Martinez about any gang affiliation or even affinity. It came after the government, which initially claimed the 37-year-old was a ranking member of the Latin Kings, backed off of that premise entirely.
In court Wednesday, prosecutors did introduce several additional messages and social media posts in which Espinoza-Martinez is clearly referring to immigration enforcement operations in Chicago. In one, he appears to be alluding to the bounty on Bovino, but only indirectly.
“It’s an aggressive case for sure and the government is taking a greater risk with this case than it often does,” Soffer said. “There is not a lot of corroboration. There is no follow up. There is not a lot of witness testimony.”
While Espinoza-Martinez has never denied sending any of the messages, he has maintained from the beginning that he was just repeating neighborhood gossip.
The case is expected to wrap up Thursday.
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