Jurors in Hobo Gang Trial To Be Anonymous

Jurors in Hobo Gang Trial To Be Anonymous

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Jury selection begins Wednesday in a trial of members of a Chicago gang called the Hobos, where charges include racketeering, drug trafficking, and seven counts of murder. Prosecutors say the nature of the charges—which include the alleged murders of two people for cooperating with law enforcement—show why jurors might fear retaliation or harassment. In a court filing, prosecutors also say defendants have threatened police officers. In one instance, a Hobo leader and three colleagues allegedly surrounded a cop who was testifying against them in a kidnapping case— this is inside the Cook County Courthouse— and said, in effect, that the cop could expect to die before he got to testify.