NEW YORK _ After sitting through more than 200 hours of testimony mapping out an unfathomable life of crime described in theatrical detail, a Brooklyn jury has begun deliberating the fate of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
The seven women and five men tasked with delivering a verdict for each of the 10 counts charged of the Mexican cocaine kingpin, received their last caution from U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan on Monday afternoon before they sat down to work.
"I have no dog in this fight," Cogan warned the jury in his charge, adding that the jurors are not to draw any inference from his own demeanor during the monthslong trial, nor the multitude of sidebars held over the last 12 weeks.
The judge also told jurors they are not to base their verdict on Guzman's personal decision not to testify.
"A criminal defendant is never required to prove that he is innocent," he said.
Prior to issuing his charge, Cogan spoke privately with three jurors who were exposed to news coverage of the defendant published over the weekend.
The sidebar discussing the coverage in question was sealed, but came in the wake of allegations that Guzman drugged and raped 13-year-old girls during his years on the lam.
The bombshell accusation made headlines for the first time over the weekend after prosecutors unsealed the explosive documents early Saturday.
A puffy-faced Guzman appeared in good spirits as he returned to the courtroom Monday, jovially greeting his attorneys before proceedings got underway.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker made an appearance after the jury began its deliberations at 1:02 p.m. EST, reportedly to wish the prosecution good luck.
When asked whether he's happy with the government's defense, he said, "Yes."
