Trial of Jonathan Garcia For Murder of Flores Has Cooperating Witness Cross About his Raps
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By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - The Source
SDNY COURTHOUSE, June 12 – Christopher Nelson, also known as Hype, was indicted in December 2019 as part of the Black Mob gang. On May 27 he argued for release from prison amid COVID-19 before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Valerie E. Caproni. Inner City Press covered it, below.
On October 1, 2021, a co-defendant was brought into the SDNY Magistrates Court and Inner City Press was there. He had face tattoos and was referred to as "Garcia." Inner City Press was told, in a whisper, that the case is death penalty eligible. Garcia was detained on consent; later this: "unsealing of a five-count Superseding Indictment charging JONATHAN GARCIA, a/k/a “Jayo,” with racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, firearms, and narcotics offenses, in connection with GARCIA’s involvement in the 2017 murder of Joshua Flores, a/k/a “Monster,” and offenses committed by GARCIA as a member of the Latin Kings, including the Black Mob tribe of the Latin Kings. GARCIA was arrested today and will be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein in Manhattan federal court." Inner City Press was there, as the only media in the Mag Court, and said it would stay on the case.
And it has. Garcia's trial started on June 12, 2023 and Inner City Press was there. The first witness was a Jamaica Hospital nurse about Flores' body dumped outside at a bus stop. Then an NYP Detective about the Ozone Park crime scene, photos of utility glove labels and a Chicago Bulls cap.
On June 13 came the cross examination of a government cooperating witness about his rap songs. One, it emerged, was based off Bladerunner - that is, fiction. The strategy appeared to be to undermine the credibility both of the witness, and the upcoming Fame Kobaine rap video which the US Attorney's Office intends to use to convict Garcia.
"Some raps are fiction, right?" the question went. Yes, indeed.
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