By late afternoon, the judge and both sides had whittled the jury pool down to 12 jurors—six men and six women—and four alternates who will hear the case.
The gun case is rooted in a difficult period in Hunter Biden’s life when he was struggling with the death of his brother, Beau, and was addicted to crack cocaine and alcohol. The trial is expected to dredge up deeply personal episodes for Hunter Biden and highlight the toll it took on the Biden family.
The case centers on a Colt Cobra revolver Hunter Biden purchased at a Wilmington gun store in October 2018. Prosecutors allege that Biden lied on a standard background check form by declaring that he was not using or addicted to illegal drugs.
Prosecutors plan to call around a dozen witnesses, including Biden’s ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, and his brother’s widow, Hallie Biden, who was romantically involved with Hunter after Beau’s death. It was Hallie Biden who found the gun and threw it into a dumpster outside a Wilmington market less than two weeks after Hunter bought it. The gun was later discovered by a man collecting recyclables, who alerted law enforcement.
Prosecutors also intend to use excerpts from Hunter Biden’s memoir, in which he discusses his addiction to crack cocaine, as well as his text messages about his drug use.
Less than a year ago, it seemed Hunter Biden might avoid trial entirely. He had a tentative deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to tax charges and enter into a diversion agreement on the gun offenses, which would have allowed him to avoid trial. However, the deal fell apart at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, who expressed concerns about its structure. Biden’s legal team and prosecutors were unable to salvage the agreement.
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