1st Witness to Testify at Ex-BP Engineer’s Trial

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A jury is set to hear testimony from the first witness at the trial of a former BP drilling engineer charged with deleting text messages and voicemails about the company's response to its massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

An FBI supervisor who worked on the case against Kurt Mix is expected to testify Wednesday when the federal trial resumes in New Orleans.

Jurors heard opening statements Tuesday from a Justice Department prosecutor who vowed to prove that Mix was trying to destroy evidence when he deleted hundreds of text messages to and from a supervisor and a BP contractor.

But a defense lawyer said Mix wasn't trying to hide anything from a grand jury probing the nation's worst offshore oil spill.

Mix has pleaded not guilty.

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