Wise read out to her a text message from days after he purchased the gun, where she responded: “I’m really sorry dad I can’t take this. I miss you so much and I just want to hang out.”
The defence began calling witnesses shortly after federal prosecutors wrapped up their case. Hunter’s lawyer Abbe Lowell started by calling another gun store clerk who was there when the gun was purchased, raising questions about what he saw as inconsistencies on the form.
He also questioned the owner of the shop who allowed the sale to go through using Hunter’s passport, though it did not include an address as required.
The jury was dismissed until Monday (Tuesday AEST) when the defence will announce whether Hunter Biden, 54, will testify. Testifying can be risky for criminal defendants because it exposes them to cross-examination.
The jury in the five-day-old first-ever criminal trial of a US president’s child heard witnesses including Hunter Biden’s ex-wife, a former girlfriend and his sister-in-law-turned-girlfriend testify about his use of crack cocaine.
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Prosecutors said that there was overwhelming evidence Hunter Biden was actively using crack in the weeks before and after he bought the gun and that he lied by answering “no” on a government screening document when asked if he was a drug user.
Lowell has said his client did not intend to deceive because he did not consider himself an addict when he purchased the gun. Hunter told the judge at a 2023 hearing that he had been sober since 2019.
Hunter Biden’s team asked the judge overseeing the case to acquit him. His lawyers said the evidence did not support a conviction.
US District Judge Maryellen Noreika did not immediately rule on the request which is routinely filed by defendants and often denied.
The president told ABC News that he would not pardon his son if convicted.
When court broke for lunch, and as Hunter Biden prepared to leave, he motioned to the first row that was full of his family members, including first lady Jill Biden, who travelled back from D-Day commemorations in France for the proceedings. She took Hunter’s hand and held it until they got to the door. She would then return to France for a state dinner.
The sentencing guidelines for the charges against Hunter Biden are 15 to 21 months, but legal experts say defendants in similar cases often get shorter sentences and are less likely to be incarcerated if they abide by the terms of their pretrial release.
Reuters, AP
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