A PIMA COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT JURY BEGAN DELIBERATIONS TUESDAY IN THE SECOND TRIAL OF MURDER DEFENDANT GENARO CELAYA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000201070001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 23, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: September 11, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

S Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R000201070001-2
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
11 September 1984
CELAYA STAT
TUCSON
A Pima County Superior Court jury began deliberations Tuesday in the second
trial of murder defendant Genaro Celaya.
Celaya is accused of shooting undercover state Department of Public Safety
narcotics agent John Walker. He was killed during an alleged $88,000 drug ripoff
in Tucson in November 1979. Lawyers gave their final presentations Monday
following a trial lasting a month. Celaya testified in his own defense.
The Arizona Supreme Court last year overturned Celaya's 1981 conviction and
ordered the retrial.
The defense claims Celaya _-a-former narcotics informant, was a victim of
entrapient because he planned to disclose alleged U.S. political _..intell_igetce
work in Mexico. Celaya was recruited by Hugh Murray, a Drug Enforcement
Administration agent who formerly worked for-the-CIA.
Deputy County Attorney Randy Stevens said it was a case of premeditated
murder.
"The only way it was not robbery and not murder in the first degree is if
you believe the defendant's story," Stevens told jurors.
Defense lawyer Walter Nash said Celaya did not intend to shoot Walker-and
that he merely wanted to trick him out of the $88,000.
Walker had posed as a California drug buyer.
One of the final witnesses was Scott Barnes, who told Judge G. Thomas Meehan
of the involvement of the Hell's Angels motorcycle club with an alleged CIA
A?
operafion
to swapguns for_Iexican narcotics.
Barnes testified without the jury present. Meehan ruled the testimony was
hearsay since Barnes could not identify a photograph of Murray.
Court officials said the jury began deliberations shortly after 10:30 a.m,
following final instruction from Meehan.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R000201070001-2