Jury selection begins Tuesday in the trial of four men who are accused of conspiring to snatch Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in a stunning scheme to retaliate against her COVID-19 restrictions.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — Were they gullible foul-mouthed men under the spell of undercover agents? Or a rogue cast seething with enough anger to actually want to kidnap Michigan’s governor?
During that turbulent time, Adam Fox, Brandon Caserta, Barry Croft Jr. and Daniel Harris were plotting to snatch Whitmer, prosecutors say. They’re accused of taking critical steps over several months, including secret messaging, gun drills in the woods and a night drive to northern Michigan to scout her second home and figure out how to blow up a bridge.
Garbin, for example, said Fox, the alleged ringleader, wanted the men to chip in for a $4,000 explosive large enough to destroy a bridge near Whitmer’s home and distract police during a kidnapping.Garbin and Franks insist no one in the group acted because of excessive influence by agents or undercover informants.
Ahead of the trial, defense lawyers panned the case, especially the “staggering use” of informants. They deny any conspiracy to kidnap Whitmer and have signaled an entrapment defense. Agents and informants were the “binding force and catalyst for every event, impassioned speech and nearly every suggestion of criminality,” Gibbons said in a court filing.
A successful entrapment defense requires evidence that the government induced someone to commit a crime that they otherwise wouldn’t be inclined to carry out, Smietanka said.
Brasil Últimas Notícias, Brasil Manchetes
Similar News:Você também pode ler notícias semelhantes a esta que coletamos de outras fontes de notícias.
Jury to decide fate of US Capitol rioter as bellwether trial endsU.S. federal prosecutors on Monday are expected to make closing arguments in the first jury trial of someone charged with joining in the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol by Donald Trump's supporters.
Consulte Mais informação »
3 cases that fueled a movement returned verdicts in the last 2 weeks. Here's what the jury decisions highlight -- and what's nextJury panels delivered verdicts in high-profile cases related to the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd roughly two years since they helped fuel a global movement against racial injustice. Here's what's next for those involved.
Consulte Mais informação »
Trial next for 4 accused in Michigan governor kidnap plotJury selection begins Tuesday in the trial of four men who are accused of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
Consulte Mais informação »
Trial next for 4 accused in Michigan governor kidnap plotJury selection begins Tuesday in the trial of four men who are accused of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
Consulte Mais informação »
Trial next for 4 accused in Michigan governor kidnap plotJury selection begins Tuesday in the trial of four men who are accused of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Consulte Mais informação »
Gretchen Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Underlines Growing Abuse of Women OfficialsFour men are going to trial for an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
Consulte Mais informação »