By Brendan Pierson and Daina Beth Solomon
(Reuters) - On a typical day, Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman would wake at noon and make calls while strolling under the trees in the mountains of his native Sinaloa state, where he was in hiding, a witness recently testified at the kingpin's trial.
The infamous gangster's personal life and business dealings have gone on public display since mid-November at a courthouse in New York, where Guzman faces 10 criminal counts and a possible life sentence.
The jury will begin deliberations on Monday, after attorneys for the prosecution and defence gave closing statements this week.
U.S. prosecutors, who say Guzman amassed a $14 billion fortune through bribery, murder and drug smuggling, supported their case by calling to the stand Guzman's former associates, including one who says she was his lover and another whose brother was among his top allies, as well as law enforcement officers.
"Do not let him escape responsibility," Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Goldbarg told jurors on Wednesday, standing at a table displaying AK-47 rifles and bricks of cocaine as evidence.
Defence lawyers claim the 61-year-old Guzman, whose nickname means "Shorty," was set up as a scapegoat. They attacked the credibility of witnesses, many of whom have extensive criminal histories.
Here are some of the most colourful tales from recent weeks in the courtroom:
HIS OWN WORDS
* Guzman's voice was "sing-songy" with a "nasallyundertone," said FBI agent Steven Marston. In one recorded call,Guzman tells an associate, "Don't be so harsh... take it easywith the police." The partner responds: "You taught us to be awolf." * Text messages between Guzman and his wife, Emma Coronel,often turned to family matters. "Our Kiki is fearless," Guzmanwrote in one, referring to one of their daughters. "I'm going togive her an AK-47 so she can hang with me." * After Coronel said she saw a suspicious car, Guzman wroteto her, "You go ahead and lead a normal life. That's it." Laterhe reminds her: "Make sure you delete everything after we'redone chatting." * In one of the trial's final days, Guzman told the judge hewould not testify in his own defence. The same day, he grinnedbroadly at audience member Alejandro Edda, the Mexican actor whoplays Guzman in the Netflix television drama "Narcos."LOVERS AND BUSINESS
* Multiple "wives" visited Guzman when he was hiding inSinaloa, said Alex Cifuentes, a former close partner. * Lucero Sanchez Lopez, a former Mexican lawmaker, toldjurors she once had a romantic relationship with Guzman, whosent her to buy and ship marijuana. "I didn't want for him tomistrust me because I thought he could also hurt me," she said."I was confused about my own feelings over him. Sometimes Iloved him and sometimes I didn't." * Agustina Cabanillas, a partner of Guzman who called him"love," set up drug deals by passing information between Guzmanand others. In one message, Cabinillas called Guzman a "jerk"who was trying to spy on her. "Guess what? I'm smarter thanhim," she wrote.HIGH LEVELS OF CORRUPTION
* Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel paid bribes, some in the millionsof dollars, to Mexican officials at every level, said JesusZambada, the brother of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, who workedalongside El Chapo and is still at large. * Beneficiaries included a high-ranking police official whofed Guzman information on police activities "every day," saidMiguel Angel Martinez, a former cartel manager. * Guzman once paid $100 million to former President EnriquePena Nieto, Cifuentes said. Pena Nieto has denied taking anybribes. * When imprisoned in Mexico in 2016, Guzman bribed anational prison official $2 million to be transferred to adifferent facility, but the move was unsuccessful.MURDER
* After a rival cartel member declined to shake Guzman'shand, he ordered the man killed, fuelling a war between thecartels, Zambada said. * When assassins reporting to Guzman killed a policeofficial who worked for a rival, Zambada said, they lured himout of his house by pretending they had hit his son with a car. * Guzman ordered Cifuentes to kill the cartel'scommunications expert after learning he was cooperating with theFBI. But Cifuentes said he was unable to carry out the hitbecause he did not know the man's last name. * When Damazo Lopez Nunez, a top lieutenant to Guzman, toldhis boss that a Mexican mayor wanted them to "remove" atroublesome police officer, Guzman told him they should do herthe favour because the mayor was a favourite for an upcomingstate election, Lopez testified. He said Guzman told him to makethe killing look like revenge from a gang member. * Lopez also said Guzman's sons killed a prominent reporterin Sinaloa because he published an article about cartelinfighting against their wishes. * One of Guzman's former bodyguards, Isaias Valdez Rios,said he watched his boss personally kill three rival cartelmembers. Guzman shot one of them and ordered his underlings tobury the man while he was gasping for air. On another occasion,Guzman tortured two men for hours before shooting them each inthe head and ordering their bodies tossed into a flaming pit.SAFE HOUSES AND ESCAPES
* For a period of Guzman's time as a fugitive in Sinaloa, innorthern Mexico, his posse lived in "humble pine huts" withtinted windows, satellite televisions and washer-dryers,Cifuentes said. About 50 guards formed three rings around thehomes to keep watch. * Guzman escaped into a tunnel hidden beneath a bathtub whenU.S. agents raided one of his homes in 2014, said Sanchez, hislover. She followed Guzman, who was completely naked, into thepassage, feeling water trickle down her legs. "It was very darkand I was very scared," she said. * Guzman's wife helped her husband tunnel out of a Mexicanprison in 2015 by passing messages to his associates, Lopeztestified. She unsuccessfully tried to help him duplicate theescape when he was captured the next year.(Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; Additional reporting and writing by Daina Beth Solomon in Mexico City; Editing by Tom Brown and Dan Grebler)