Jury Ready To Hear Trial In Cross-Border Killing Of Teen
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Members of a newly selected jury have been instructed to return to court for opening statements in the trial of a U.S. Border Patrol agent charged with shooting into Mexico in 2012 and killing a 16-year-old.
U.S. District Judge Raner Collins told the panel Tuesday afternoon that opening statements are set for Wednesday morning.
The trial in U.S. District Court in Tucson comes amid President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration and campaign to build a wall along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border.
Lonnie Swartz has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez. The teenager was shot on a street in Nogales, Mexico, across the border from Nogales, Arizona.
An autopsy showed the unarmed teen was shot 10 times, mostly from behind.
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