After more than 10 hours of deliberating, the jury in Bill Cosby’s trial failed to reach a verdict. The seven men and five men spent hours going over testimony and evidence from a case that ended in a hung jury in 2017.
The case remains difficult for jurors because most of the testimony is centered on “he-said, she-said” evidence. Andrea Constand told the court that she was sexually assaulted by Cosby, 80, in 2004 after he gave her wine and pills at his home in Philadelphia. Cosby’s defense team told jurors that the sex between Constand and Cosby occurred multiple times and that each encounter was consensual.
With consent being a determining factor, the jury asked the judge to define “consent” from a legal standpoint. The judge told jurors to use their common sense to come to a resolution about consent.
Cosby’s defense team has struck hard at Constand by questioning her credibility. They painted her as a money-hungry person who was looking to frame a celebrity to help herself financially. It was revealed that Constand received $3,4 million from Cosby after the two settled out of court.
The prosecution has also attacked Cosby by attempting to create a narrative of him being a repeat offender of sexual abuse. They called five other women to testify against Cosby, all who claimed that they were assaulted by the former TV star. However, Cosby’s defense claimed that each woman had personal issues and some abused drugs prior to meeting Cosby.
The scene at the Montgomery County courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania, was a bit different from the previous trial that occurred in the summer of 2017. In 2017, there were dozens of protestors who spoke out for and against Cosby outside of the courtroom. This time around, there were less than five people protesting outside by the time members of the jury were sent home for the evening.
The deliberations will continue today.
