A jury delivered its verdict in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial in Wilmington, Del., on Tuesday, finding the president’s 54-year-old son guilty on all three felony counts stemming from a 2018 gun purchase.
After just three hours of deliberations, the 12-member panel concluded that the prosecution proved that Biden lied about his addiction to crack while applying to purchase the firearm and that he illegally possessed the handgun for 11 days.
He faces up to 25 years in prison and $750,000 in fines.
What happened during the trial?
Jury deliberations began Monday following closing arguments after the defense rested without calling Biden to testify.
A total of 13 witnesses testified during the six-day trial, including Biden’s ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, and two of his former romantic partners, including Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau Biden.
Prosecutors argued that Biden was aware of his drug addiction at the time he filled out the federal application to purchase a firearm. They used audio excerpts from Biden’s 2021 memoir in which he detailed his addiction around the time he purchased the handgun.
“The defendant knew he used crack and was addicted to crack at the relevant time period,” prosecutor Leo Wise told the jury during closing arguments.
Hunter Biden’s lead defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, argued that the prosecution had to prove that the president’s son knew he was violating the law at the time of his gun purchase, and that it failed to do so.
“With this very high burden, it’s time to end this case,” Lowell said.
What was the White House’s reaction to the verdict?
There was no immediate reaction from the White House. First lady Jill Biden, who attended all but one day of Hunter Biden’s trial, was in court again on Tuesday. President Biden did not. But in a recent interview with ABC’s David Muir, the president said he would accept the jury’s verdict and ruled out the possibility of a pardon for his son.
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