January 24, 2013

NEW YORK (JTA) — New information has emerged in the 2001 murder of congressional intern Chandra Levy two years after a conviction in the case.

Lawyers from both sides have met in secret over the information, USA Today reported Wednesday. The information about a prosecution witness reportedly could undermine testimony in the case.

Ingmar Guandique, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was sentenced in 2011 to 60 years in prison for the murder of Levy, a 24-year-old intern whose remains were found in a Washington park in 2002 nearly a year after she disappeared the previous summer.

Lawyers for Guandique and the U.S. Justice Department have appeared twice in court since December, and they reportedly locked the doors to the courtroom on one occasion. They also had the hearings and legal files sealed from the public.

His appeal has been put on hold until the new information is sorted out. Guandique is scheduled to appear at a court hearing on Feb. 7.

Superior Court Judge Gerald Fisher said the secrecy regarding the trial is for “safety concerns,” leaving information about which witness is in question unknown.

“Our concern is that we are without our daughter,” said Levy’s parents, who are in the dark about the new developments. “We hope they don’t let a rapist and murderer out because of some technicality.”

Levy’s disappearance became of national interest when it was reported that she was having an affair with Gary Condit, a congressman from California, at the time. Condit was cleared of any involvement with Levy’s disappearance but lost his seat in Congress in a 2002 primary election.

In November, a jury convicted Guandique of two counts of first-degree felony murder — one related to Levy’s kidnapping and one related to a robbery attempt.

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