Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog
Nine years after the death of former federal intern Chandra Levy, Ingmar Guandique has been found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. It took the jury 3 ½ days of deliberations to reach its verdict.
Although prosecutors had originally charged Guandique with nine criminal counts, including first-degree murder, attempted assault and battery, attempted kidnapping, making threats against a witness, and obstruction of justice, all charges except for the two counts of first-degree murder had been dropped by the time jury deliberations began. Charges weren’t filed against Guandique until almost seven years after Levy’s disappearance while jogging in Rock Creek Park on May 1, 2001.
At the time that she went missing, Levy was having an affair with Gary A. Condit, a married congressman, who became the initial suspect in her disappearance. It wasn’t until a year after she was last seen that a man walking his dog through the park found her skull.
Although police did not have any forensic evidence, they eventually charged Guandique, who was already serving time for assaulting two other women, with her murder. Prosecutors based their criminal case against him on statements made by a former cellmate of is who said that in 2006 the 29-year-old admitted to killing Levy and on the fact that Guandique had previously attacked the other women at the same park where Levy had disappeared.
The defense, however, argued that no forensic evidence existed to link Guandique to the crime scene because he did not commit the crime. Another cellmate who testified during his murder case said that Guandique never spoke Levy’s name.
Jury Convicts Ingmar Guandique in Chandra Levy’s Murder, ABC News, November 22, 2010
Jury Convicts Ingmar Guandique in Chandra Levy’s Murder, Washington Post, November 22, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Chandra Levy Murder Trial Begins, Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog
Timeline: Chandra Levy Case, ABC News
In Massachusetts, contact our Boston murder defense attorneys . Hiring an experienced criminal defense lawyer can increase the chances of you securing the best outcome possible for your homicide case.
