A Norristown, Pennsylvania, judge declared a mistrial in a court case that accused entertainer Bill Cosby of sexually assaulting a former employee of his alma mater in his home in 2004.
Cosby, 79, could have been convicted of three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault that carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Judge Steven O’Neill declared the mistrial Saturday morning after the jury of seven men and five women failed to reach a unanimous consensus on a verdict after 52 hours. Journalist Dana DiFilippo documented Cosby’s reaction to the verdict:
Bill Cosby leans back in chair, resting chin on his cane, looking thoughtful after jury deadlocks, judge declares mistrial. #CosbyTrial
— Dana DiFilippo (@DanaDiFilippo) June 17, 2017
Prosecutors had four months to decide whether to retry the case or abandon it, though reporters on the scene said the Montgomery County district attorney’s office already plans to retry Cosby.
Jurors first told O’Neill they were deadlocked on Thursday after 30 hours of deliberations that started Monday. He gave them the standard instruction to continue deliberating without compromising any of their individual beliefs.
The case centered on the accusations first made in 2005 by Andrea Constand, 44, a former director of operations for Temple University’s women’s basketball team. She testified that Cosby molested her at his home near Philadelphia in 2004 when she was incapacitated from three pills that the comedian gave her and said would help her relax.
Jurors had heard testimony over six days, with Constand serving as the prosecution’s star witness. She denied claims from the defense that she’d had a consensual affair with Cosby. She said she went to Cosby’s home outside of Philadelphia because he was a mentor offering career advice.
“He was a Temple [University] friend,” Constand said of Cosby. “Somebody I trusted. A mentor. And somewhat of an older figure to me.”
Cosby did not testify in his defense, and his lawyers called only one witness before resting their case on Monday. Their strategy instead focused on pointing to discrepancies in the version of events provided by Constand and other prosecution witnesses during cross-examination.
Constand acknowledged that some of her answers had shifted since her initial statement to police. For instance, Constand admitted that she and Cosby had been alone on occasions prior to the night in question, contrary to what she told investigators more than a decade ago.
On Thursday, Cosby’s spokesman Andrew Wyatt argued that the deadlocked jury proved jurors were “conflicted about the inconsistencies.”
In recent years, 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, but the statute of limitations had expired in most of those cases. Only Constand’s claims led to criminal charges.
This is a developing story. Please check back for additional information.
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