By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — Extra security measures were in place Monday at the start of a murder trial of two purported members of the Latin Kings gang, one of whom faced allegations of jury tampering in a past case.
Convicted killer Lawrence Perez, 29, and his co-defendant, Brian Franqui, 26, are currently on trial for the June 7, 2003 murder of a man named Wilner Gonzalez in Manhattan.
Perez, believed to be a high-ranking gang member, was previously found guilty of torturing and murdering a Bronx man in 2005 in an apartment building basement and discarding the victim's body in a Yankee Stadium parking lot.
The 2005 case was tried twice. The first time the case ended in a mistrial amid rumors of threats against the jury by associates of Perez and Franqui.
Perez's cohorts attended the first trial and may have "spooked" jurors, defense attorneys said at the time, according to past reports.
Perez was found guilty in 2008 during the case's second trial.
During pre-trial proceedings in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday, spectators were screened before entering the courtroom, an unusual procedure since visitors already go through metal detectors on their way into the building.
Cell phones were also barred from the courtroom, which is generally not the case in Manhattan state courts.
The Manhattan DA's office would not comment on special security procedures.
Jury selection is expected to begin this week.
