SCRANTON — After a week of testimony, a jury in Scranton is expected to begin deliberating on Shawn Christy’s guilt or innocence today.
Christy, 28, who acted as his own attorney in his trial in federal court, tried to make the argument to jurors that there were many “interesting” ins and outs to his case. He hoped to draw doubt in their minds to render verdicts of not guilty to charges stemming from a three-month crime spree across six states.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Camoni argued that what Christy finds interesting is also not relevant to the question at the center of the trial — Did he commit the crimes?
Christy himself — in the form of recordings played last week at court — was the prosecution’s “star witness,” Camoni said. In them, Christy admitted to everything.
“The only just verdict, the only reasonable verdict, is guilty on all counts,” Camoni said.
Authorities charged Christy in July 2018 with making threats against President Donald Trump and with three counts of transmitting threats against Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli and other law enforcement officials.
In June 2018, Christy wrote that he would “put a bullet” in the heads of Trump and Morganelli and threatened “lethal force” against police, authorities charged.
Officials also said he fled in a stolen vehicle to New York, near the border with Canada, and broke into several homes and businesses and stole other vehicles as he traveled through West Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland and Ohio. Authorities finally found him in Ohio in Sept. 21, 2018.
Christy, who has a history of courtroom outbursts, took the stand to defend himself Monday.
On direct questioning from his standby counsel, David Cherundolo, Christy calmly recounted how certain Facebook posts made him feel threatened. That included posts from prosecution witness Dakota Meyer, the former son-in-law of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Christy is accused of stealing a vehicle from him. Meyer, of Kentucky, wrote that it was too bad Christy did not come out in a “body bag.”
“I viewed this as a threat to me,” Christy said.
However, Christy’s temper flared once Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis Sempa started to question him.
Challenged with his own Facebook posts containing threats, Christy said he did not write them.
Sempa sounded incredulous.
“Everyone’s conspiring against you,” he said.
Eventually, Christy snapped at Camoni, who was seated at the prosecution table. In front of the jury, Christy snarled, “don’t you smile at me you ... punk.”
Some jurors appeared shocked at the outburst.
After, Christy refused to answer many of Sempa’s questions by invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
U.S. District Judge Robert D. Mariani put his head in his hand. He excused the jury and explained to Christy how he had waived Fifth Amendment right when he took the stand.
He also stressed how important it is to Christy’s case that jurors find him credible.
“I would suggest you think long and hard about the impact you’re having on the jurors,” Mariani said.
Christy decided to stick by his decision not to testify further.
Since Christy would not answer questions from Sempa, Mariani told the jury to disregard everything the defendant said while Cherundolo questioned him.
Beginning this morning, jurors will deliberate on a verdict.
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