A federal jury on Thursday acquitted a Chicago-area man accused of offering a $10,000 bounty for the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino.
After deliberating for just over three hours, the jury found 37-year-old union carpenter Juan Espinoza Martinez not guilty of murder-for-hire charges.
Espinoza Martinez, arrested in October, showed little reaction as the verdict was read but embraced members of his defense team as jurors filed out of the courtroom. He had faced up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.
Prosecutors alleged Martinez placed a bounty on Bovino by sending a series of Snapchat messages to a government informant and to his brother. The informant, whom Martinez knew through construction work, later cooperated with federal authorities.
One message included a photo of Bovino and text the government translated as: "2k on info when they catch him. 10k if you take him down." Another message followed with "LK on it," which prosecutors said referred to the Latin Kings street gang.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Minje Shin argued during closing arguments that the crime was complete once the messages were sent.
"The crime was complete the moment he sent those words, because he had the intent that a murder be committed," Shin told jurors.
Defense attorneys countered that Martinez never intended to harm anyone and lacked both the means and connections to carry out such a plot. They portrayed him as a family man with three children, steady employment, and no criminal history.
"You're not going to see that he had $10,000," defense attorney Jonathan Bedi said. "You will hear that he had less than $20 in his bank account. It's not a crime to share neighborhood gossip."
The defense also pointed out that the recipients of the messages — a federal informant with health issues and Martinez's brother, another union carpenter — were unlikely candidates to commit a murder.
During a post-arrest interview played for jurors, Martinez appeared confused by the charges and laughed nervously when asked about the messages.
"I work all day, I sit down, and relax, go through my phone and share with my friends," he said.
He acknowledged the messages looked bad but insisted he had no intent to harm Bovino.
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