UPDATED 4:12 P.M.
WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) -Hunter Biden’s sister-in-law testified on Thursday that she found his gun and threw it away out of fear of his spiraling addiction, potentially bolstering prosecutors’ case that President Joe Biden’s son broke a law barring illegal drug users from owning firearms.
Jurors in the first criminal trial of a U.S. president’s child saw surveillance camera footage of Hallie Biden tossing Hunter Biden’s gun in a supermarket trash can, as well as texts where she said she feared for his life.
“Check yourself into a local rehab hunter, this has all got to stop,” Hallie Biden wrote in an October 2018 text message shortly after Hunter Biden bought the gun.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to three felony charges accusing him of illegally failing to disclose his use of illegal drugs when he bought the Colt Cobra revolver and of illegally possessing the weapon for 11 days before Hallie Biden took it.
The trial in Wilmington, Delaware, federal court follows another historic first – last week’s criminal conviction of Donald Trump, the first U.S. president to be found guilty of a felony. Trump is the Republican challenger to Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the Nov. 5 election.
Trump and some of his Republican allies in Congress have alleged that case and three other ongoing prosecutions are politically motivated attempts to prevent him from regaining power. Congressional Democrats have pointed to cases including the Hunter Biden prosecution as evidence that Joe Biden is not using the justice system for political or personal ends.
Joe Biden told ABC News on Thursday that he would not pardon his son if he was convicted. Asked if he would accept the trial outcome and rule out a pardon, Biden responded, “yes.”
The Delaware jury has heard testimony this week from witnesses, including his ex-wife and a former girlfriend about 54-year-old Hunter Biden’s past prolific drug use, which he has publicly acknowledged.
Prosecutors did not wrap up their case on Thursday, and said they planned to call two witnesses on Friday. Hunter Biden’s lawyer said he could finish his case by the end of Monday.
‘I PANICKED’
Much of the earlier testimony and evidence covered periods before and after Biden had the gun, and the defense has tried to show the president’s son had gone through drug treatment and could have considered himself sober when he bought it in October 2018.
Defense attorney Abbe Lowell told the jury during opening arguments on Tuesday that Hunter Biden had no intent to deceive.
Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau Biden, who died of cancer in 2015, was the first witness to fill in details about Hunter Biden’s behavior when he possessed the gun.
She testified she often cleaned out Hunter Biden’s truck, searching for drugs, in an attempt to help him get his life in order.
She told the jury that she found drug paraphernalia and the gun during one of those searches, and feared Hunter Biden or her children would find the gun and hurt themselves.
“I panicked and wanted to get rid of it,” said Hallie Biden, who said she struck up a romantic relationship with Hunter Biden after his brother’s death, beginning in late 2015 or early 2016.
She said Hunter Biden introduced her to crack and she became addicted until she got clean in August 2018.
On cross-examination, she said she had not seen Hunter Biden in the weeks around the gun purchase and did not see him use drugs on the day she took his revolver. She completed her testimony on Thursday afternoon.
Hunter Biden told the judge in the case at a 2023 hearing that he had been sober since 2019.
Hunter Biden and his attorneys have not said if he will testify in his own defense, a risky move that most criminal defendants avoid because they expose themselves to questions from prosecutors.
If Hunter Biden is convicted on all charges, he faces up to 25 years in prison, though defendants generally receive shorter sentences, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
(Reporting by Jack Queen and Tom Hals; Editing by Scott Malone, Deepa Babington, Aurora Ellis, Nick Zieminski and Daniel Wallis)
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UPDATED 10:41 A.M.
WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) -Hunter Biden’s sister-in-law testified at his criminal trial on Thursday she found remnants of crack cocaine and a gun in his truck, potentially bolstering prosecutors’ case that President Joe Biden’s son broke a law barring drug users from owning firearms.
The jury in the first criminal trial of a U.S. president’s child has heard testimony this week from witnesses including his ex-wife and a former girlfriend about 54-year-old Hunter Biden’s past prolific drug use, which he has publicly acknowledged.
Hallie Biden, the widow of Hunter Biden’s brother Beau Biden, who died of cancer in 2015, testified she often cleaned out Hunter Biden’s truck, searching for drugs, in an attempt to help him get his life in order.
She told the jury that she found drug paraphernalia and a Colt Cobra .38-caliber revolver during one of those searches, and feared Hunter Biden or her children would find the gun and hurt themselves.
“I panicked and wanted to get rid of it,” said Hallie Biden, who said she struck up a romantic relationship with Hunter Biden beginning late 2015 or early 2016.
She told the jury how she took the gun from his truck, the last time Hunter Biden had possession of the gun, and threw it in a trash bin at a nearby gourmet food store.
Federal prosecutor Derek Hines said the government could call its last witness on Thursday. Hunter Biden and his attorneys have not said if he will testify in his own defense, a risky move that most criminal defendants avoid because they expose themselves to questions from prosecutors.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to three felony charges accusing him of failing to disclose his use of illegal drugs when he bought the gun in October 2018 and of illegally possessing the weapon for 11 days.
He told the judge in the case at a 2023 hearing that he had been sober since 2019.
Defense lawyer Abbe Lowell told jurors during opening statements that Biden was not using drugs when he purchased the gun and did not intend to deceive because he did not see himself as a drug user at the time.
The trial in Wilmington, Delaware, federal court follows another historic first – last week’s criminal conviction of Donald Trump, the first U.S. president to be found guilty of a felony. Trump is the Republican challenger to Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the Nov. 5 election.
Joe Biden has rarely been mentioned and none of the testimony or evidence has been political.
If Hunter Biden is convicted on all charges, he faces up to 25 years in prison, though defendants generally receive shorter sentences, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
(Reporting by Jack Queen and Tom Hals; Editing by Scott Malone, Deepa Babington and Nick Zieminski)
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WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) – Prosecutors are expected to rest their case against President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden on Thursday, after presenting evidence aimed at showing that he lied about his drug use to illegally buy a gun in 2018.
The jury in the first criminal trial of a U.S. president’s child has heard testimony from witnesses including his ex-wife and a former girlfriend about 54-year-old Hunter Biden’s past prolific drug use, which he has publicly acknowledged.
Federal prosecutor Derek Hines said the government could call its last witness on Thursday. Hunter Biden and his attorneys have not said if he will testify in his own defense, a risky move that most criminal defendants avoid because they expose themselves to questions from prosecutors.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to three felony charges accusing him of failing to disclose his use of illegal drugs when he bought the gun in October 2018 and of illegally possessing the weapon for 11 days.
He told the judge in the case at a 2023 hearing that he had been sober since 2019.
Defense lawyer Abbe Lowell told jurors during opening statements that Biden was not using drugs when he purchased the gun and did not intend to deceive because he did not see himself as a drug user at the time.
The trial in Wilmington, Delaware, federal court follows another historic first – last week’s criminal conviction of Donald Trump, the first U.S. president to be found guilty of a felony. Trump is the Republican challenger to Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the Nov. 5 election.
On Wednesday, jurors heard that Hunter Biden would prepare crack at the ritzy Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles or spend days in hotel rooms getting high in the months before his 2018 gun purchase, according to his former girlfriend.
“He would want to smoke as soon as he woke up,” Zoe Kestan told jurors, as she described meetings with a “scary” drug dealer and hunting for instructions on the internet to cook powder cocaine into crack.
Biden’s ex-wife Kathleen Buhele briefly testified about finding crack pipes and drugs in their home and in Hunter Biden’s cars before they split up in 2017.
Hallie Biden, the widow of the president’s late son Beau Biden, is also set to testify about Hunter Biden’s drug use.
(Reporting by Jack Queen and Tom Hals; Editing by Scott Malone and Deepa Babington)
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