Snapchats to informant central at trial for man accused in murder plot of Border Patrol leader
January 21, 2026
Snapchat messages a Chicago man accused of soliciting the murder of a Border Patrol commander unknowingly sent to a government informant took center stage at the opening day of the man’s trial. Juan Espinoza Martinez faces one count of murder-for-hire in the first criminal trial from last year’s immigration crackdown in Chicago. Prosecutors allege Espinoza Martinez put a $10,000 bounty on the life of Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official behind the crackdown. But defense attorneys say Espinoza Martinez didn’t have that kind of money and the messages to his brother and friend-turned-informant were “neighborhood gossip.”