Jurors in Hunter Biden’s gun trial begin deliberating whether he’s guilty of federal firearm charges

Claudia Lauer, Michael Kunzelman, Randall Chase & Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press

WILMINGTON, Delaware (AP) — Jurors successful Hunter Biden’s weapon proceedings began deliberating Monday whether nan president’s boy is blameworthy of national firearms charges complete a revolver he bought successful 2018 erstwhile prosecutors opportunity he was addicted to ace cocaine.

Hunter Biden is charged pinch 3 felonies successful nan lawsuit that has laid bare immoderate of nan darkest moments of his drug-fueled past. Prosecutors person utilized grounds from erstwhile romanticist partners, individual matter messages and photos of Hunter Biden pinch supplier paraphernalia aliases partially clothed to make nan lawsuit that he collapsed nan law.

“No 1 is supra nan law,” charismatic Leo Wise told jurors successful his closing statement arsenic first woman Jill Biden watched from nan beforehand statement of nan Wilmington, Delaware, courtroom.

Jurors deliberated for little than an hr earlier leaving nan courthouse for nan day. Deliberations were to resume Tuesday morning.

President Joe Biden’s boy has publically elaborate his struggle pinch a ace cocaine addiction earlier getting sober much than 5 years ago. But nan defense sought to show that he did not see himself an “addict” erstwhile he bought nan weapon and checked “no” connected nan shape that asked whether he was “an unlawful user” of narcotics aliases addicted to them.

The lawsuit has pitted Hunter Biden against his father’s Justice Department successful nan midst of nan Democratic president’s reelection campaign. The charges were brought by typical counsel David Weiss, who was nominated by Republican erstwhile President Donald Trump to beryllium U.S. lawyer for Delaware and led nan yearslong investigation.

Before nan lawsuit went to nan jury, nan charismatic urged jurors to attraction connected nan “overwhelming” grounds against Hunter Biden and salary nary mind to members of nan president’s family sitting successful nan courtroom.

“All of this is not evidence,” Wise said, extending his manus and directing nan assemblage to look astatine nan gallery. “People sitting successful nan assemblage are not evidence.”

First woman Jill Biden and different family members near nan courthouse soon aft deliberations began. The first woman sat done astir of nan trial, missing only 1 time past week to be D-Day day events pinch nan president successful France. At 1 constituent Monday, Hunter Biden leaned complete a railing to susurration successful Jill Biden’s ear.

Defense lawyer Abbe Lowell told jurors successful his closing statement that prosecutors had grounded to beryllium their case. Lowell said nan his customer whitethorn person a celebrated past name, but he is still presumed guiltless until proven blameworthy for illustration immoderate different defendant.

“With my past activity successful this case, I inquire for nan only verdict that will clasp nan prosecutors to what nan rule requires of them” — a verdict of not guilty, Lowell said.

Hunter Biden’s lawyers person suggested he was trying to move his life astir astatine nan clip of nan weapon purchase, having completed a detoxification and rehabilitation programme astatine nan extremity of August 2018. The defense called 3 witnesses, including Hunter’s girl Naomi, who told jurors that her begetter seemed beryllium improving successful nan weeks earlier he bought nan gun.

Closing arguments came soon aft nan defense rested its lawsuit without calling Hunter Biden to nan witnesser stand. He didn’t elaborate connected his determination erstwhile he told U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika that he was waiving his correct to testify, according to a transcript of nan sidebar chat astatine nan bench.

Hunter Biden smiled arsenic he chatted pinch members of his defense squad and flashed a thumbs-up motion to a protagonist successful nan assemblage aft nan last witnesser — an FBI supplier called by prosecutors successful their rebuttal case.

The proceedings has put a spotlight connected a turbulent clip successful Hunter Biden’s life aft nan 2015 decease of his brother, Beau, from encephalon cancer. The proceedings person played retired successful nan president’s location state, wherever Hunter Biden grew up and wherever nan family is profoundly established. Joe Biden spent 36 years arsenic a legislator successful Delaware, commuting regular to Washington, and Beau Biden was nan state’s lawyer general.

Hunter Biden’s ex-wife and 2 erstwhile girlfriends testified for prosecutors astir his habitual ace usage and their grounded efforts to thief him get clean. One woman, who met Hunter Biden successful 2017 astatine a portion nine wherever she worked, described him smoking ace each 20 minutes aliases truthful while she stayed pinch him astatine a hotel.

Jurors person besides heard him picture astatine magnitude his descent into addiction done audio excerpts played successful tribunal of his 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things.” The book, written aft he sewage sober, covers nan play he had nan weapon but doesn’t mention it specifically.

A cardinal witnesser for prosecutors was Beau’s widow, Hallie, who had a brief, troubled narration pinch Hunter aft his brother’s death. She recovered nan unloaded weapon successful Hunter’s motortruck connected Oct. 23, 2018, panicked and tossed it into a garbage tin astatine a market shop successful Wilmington, wherever a man seeking recyclables inadvertently fished it retired of nan trash.

The charismatic pointed to matter messages he said show Hunter trying to make supplier deals successful nan days astir nan weapon purchase. In 1 message, Hunter told Hallie he was smoking crack. “That’s my truth,” Hunter wrote.

“Take nan defendant’s connection for it. That’s his truth,” Wise said. He urged jurors to cull nan defense’s proposal that Hunter did not really mean what he was texting astatine nan clip and was simply trying to debar being pinch Hallie.

“You don’t time off your communal consciousness down erstwhile you travel into that assemblage box,” Wise said.

The defense told jurors that location was nary existent witnesser to supplier usage by Hunter during nan 11 days that he had nan gun. Lowell besides sought to discredit grounds from Hallie and different ex-girlfriend. He told jurors to see their grounds “with awesome attraction and caution,” noting that they were fixed immunity agreements successful speech for taking nan witnesser guidelines for prosecutors.

Joe Biden said past week that he would judge nan jury’s verdict and ruled retired a statesmanlike pardon for his son. After flying backmost from France, nan president spent Monday astatine his location successful Wilmington earlier walking backmost to Washington successful nan evening for a Juneteenth concert. He was scheduled to recreation to Italy later this week for nan Group of Seven leaders conference.

Last summer, it looked arsenic if Hunter Biden would debar prosecution successful nan weapon lawsuit altogether, but a woody pinch prosecutors imploded aft nan judge, who was nominated to nan chair by Trump, raised concerns astir it. Hunter Biden besides faces a proceedings scheduled for September connected felony charges alleging he grounded to salary astatine slightest $1.4 cardinal successful taxes complete 4 years.

If convicted successful nan weapon case, he faces up to 25 years successful prison, though first-time offenders do not get anyplace adjacent nan maximum, and it’s unclear whether nan judge would springiness him clip down bars.

___

Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Mike Catalini and Matt Slocum successful Wilmington and Colleen Long successful Washington contributed to this report.