14 DAY TRIAL // Ingmar Guandique, the man convicted in 2010 for the murder of Washington intern Chandra Levy, is requesting a new trial. He is asking for a second chance in court based on the emergence of a new witness.
According to Radar Online, while the identity of the witness has not been revealed, he or she is said to possess vital information about the case.
30-year-old Guandique has appeared in court on Thursday, February 7, in a hearing in Washington that is set to decide if he gets a retrial.
He was joined by a public defense team and a Spanish translator. The outcome of the hearing has not been made public as of yet.
As we informed you 2 weeks ago, lawyers and police officers that have handled the Levy case are under a strict gag order which binds them to secrecy about court proceedings.
Guandique's hearings are being run by Superior Court Judge Gerald L. Fisher, behind closed doors. Sources say that another hearing will follow.
An intern with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, 24-year-old Levy had been romantically linked to then congressman Gary Condit. The affair went on for 6 months, while Condit was still married, yet he was never charged with anything.
“It can happen that Guandique’s conviction of the murder of Levy could be thrown out and the killer could still be out there,” defense lawyer Dana Cole says.
Guandique has been convicted based on the testimonies of a former jail mate to which he allegedly confessed and of two female witnesses who alleged that he attacked them.
“So, to make a decision on a case where you’re using a jailhouse snitch’s testimony is an incredibly dangerous thing to do.
“Without DNA evidence to back up a confession or the testimony from the two women who Guandique did attack, you can’t automatically say he’s guilty for Levy’s murder,” Cole argues.