Man convicted in Chandra Levy’s death won’t be retried
should have known the testimony was problematic.
“It is now clear that the jailhouse informant, who was central to the government’s case, was a perjurer who too easily manipulated the prosecutors,” Guandique’s lawyers said in their statement Thursday.
In recent months, Guandique’s attorneys have raised questions about Condit. At a January hearing, one of Guandique’s attorneys told a judge that Condit misled the jury with his testimony at the 2010 trial, but he did not elaborate.
In May, defense lawyers sought to take depositions from several women who said they had sexual relationships with Condit. Defense lawyers said two of the women said they feared Condit. And the defense lawyers said Condit had “obvious motive to kill Ms. Levy in order to keep the relationship secret.”
Condit testified at trial that he didn’t kill Levy but evaded questions about an intimate relationship saying, “We’re all entitled to some level of privacy.”
Lawyers who represented Condit did not return calls seeking comment Thursday. Efforts to reach Levy’s parents by phone were not immediately successful Thursday.
Prosecutors say that as a result of their action, Guandique, who is from El Salvador, will be released to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and faces deportation.