Hey, Hey, Hey . . . It's Bill Cosby, Serial Rapist!

[RayThom]

I feel Cosby's lawyers were doing their best trying to present an implied "too old, too famous" defense to minimize the good doctor's criminal behavior.

If convicted -- and I think he will be -- Cosby will be sentenced to the mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison. However, I feel his "prison" may very well be a reasonable facsimile thereof -- some kind of house arrest with "privileged" monitoring. And then, mercifully, the prolific rapist will just fade away in the arms of his loving enabler, Camille. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

The rich are different.

[Big RR]

From CNN re the progress of deliberations:

Jurors have asked four questions amid their deliberations. They asked the judge to repeat two different parts of Cosby's statements to authorities, asked the court to define the phrase "without her knowledge" in one of the charges, and asked to hear repeat testimony from the Canadian detective who interviewed Constand.

The question about the definition (which the judge said he could not answer--it was up to the jury concerns me because even her testimony said she willingly took the drugs (which I think he told her would relax her). I think some jurors are having a problem with this, at least with regard to count 3. But I hope it doesn't affect counts 1 and 2; even if someone willingly gets drunk, you can't take advantage of them if they are passed out and incapable of consent. I guess we'll have to see.

[RayThom]

I predict the verdict will be rendered early tomorrow. If the jury renders their verdict by 9AM they can be on a plane at PHL within 30 minutes and arrive at PIA by 11AM. Just in time to catch the Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup victory parade.

[Lord Jim]

Being in day four of deliberations with no verdict, it was easy to see this coming:

Jurors in Bill Cosby's trial say they are deadlocked

(CNN)Jurors in the Bill Cosby trial said Thursday they are deadlocked and cannot come to a unanimous consensus on any of the three counts of aggravated indecent assault the comedian faces.

Judge Steven O'Neill asked the jury, which began deliberating Monday evening, to go back to deliberating in another attempt to reach consensus.[Judges do this all the time, and it rarely gets a deadlocked jury to reach a verdict.]

"I am required to read you an instruction. The jury foreman has informed me that you are deadlocked," O'Neill said. "If you are still deadlocked you should report that to me. If you've reached a unanimous decision on some of the charges, please report that back to me."

The jury of seven men and five women have deliberated for about 31 hours so far. The jurors were bused in from Allegheny County near Pittsburgh and have been sequestered in a hotel for the trial.

Jurors must decide if Cosby is guilty of three charges of aggravated indecent assault. Prosecutors say the famed comedian drugged and sexually assaulted Andrea Constand, the director of operations for Temple University's women's basketball team, at his home near Philadelphia in January 2004. Cosby, 79, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/15/us/bill-c ... index.html

[Guinevere]

Really? In all of the cases you've tried to a jury, they've never stayed out 4 days? I've had a jury stay out 4 days and it was just in a civil case. In a hotly contested criminal case 4 days isn't long at all. Aaron Hernandez was found guilty after 7 days of deliberation in his first murder trial, and acquitted after 6 days of deliberation in his second.

[BoSoxGal]

Also, I've seen a number of cases where deadlocks are broken following the stern speech from the judge about the cost of the trial to all parties and the obligations of the jurors to do their sworn duty by really working hard to get past a deadlock to a verdict.

Remember that there are thousands of trials every year that don't make anything but local news - if that.

Finally, any prosecutor will tell you that sexual assault cases are THE most difficult as it very often comes down to nothing more than the victim's credibility - doubtless why the jury has requested to have read back nearly all of this victim's testimony.

[rubato]

How was the jury split? Anyone know?


yrs,
rubato

[Burning Petard]

This jury was pulled from the far side of the state and now they have gone home. I suspect both sides will be spending lots of time/money trying to get info out of each jury member about their deliberations. The TV show 'Bull' has introduced the public to a fictionalized version of just what kind of justice money will buy today.

snailgate

[Bicycle Bill]

Now that William H. Cosby Jr. has been to trial before a jury of his peers, 'twelve good men and true', and the case could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, he is found to be "not guilty" and is now free — correct?  So, how does he go about getting back his reputation, his legacy as an entertainer, and all the rest of his life that has been ripped to tatters and dragged through all the shit, dirt, mud, and other crap that "the court of public opinion" was able to provide?

Answer — he doesn't.  Five years, ten years, even twenty years from now, this — not his groundbreaking, Emmy-award-winning role in "I Spy"; not his career as a comedian; not his (well, to be honest, lackluster) career as a motion picture actor — will be the one thing that everyone will remember about Bill Cosby.

The way I see it, 'the Cos' still lost.

-"BB"-

[Guinevere]

I've been out on the harbor all day today with the Tall ships, but I heard the judge is scheduling a new trial. Is that correct?

[Joe Guy]

Yes. I also heard that the judge is scheduling a new trial.

[Lord Jim]

I hope to be proven wrong, but it seems to me that the longer the deliberations go on, the more likely it is that he will skate with a hung jury; this is a pretty simple three-count case; there aren't dozens of charges to sort through...

...Judge Steven O'Neill asked the jury, which began deliberating Monday evening, to go back to deliberating in another attempt to reach consensus.[Judges do this all the time, and it rarely gets a deadlocked jury to reach a verdict.]

Really? In all of the cases you've tried to a jury, they've never stayed out 4 days? I've had a jury stay out 4 days and it was just in a civil case...

Also, I've seen a number of cases where deadlocks are broken following the stern speech from the judge about the cost of the trial to all parties and the obligations of the jurors to do their sworn duty by really working hard to get past a deadlock to a verdict.

Gee whiz, looks like the guy with no law degree called the right shot...


For the record, I take absolutely no satisfaction from that; I would very much have preferred to be proven wrong, and see one of the most prolific serial sexual abusers in American history spend the last years of his life behind bars...

Perhaps he still will...

[RayThom]

Local "buzz" has it that it was a lone hold-out (over four days) that hung the jury. If there is no retrial then I'm sure one of the major media networks will have a special interview with the group.

It was hard to believe that the serial rapist's fan base made such a presence outside the courthouse. My guess -- they are also Trump supporters.

"MAKE BILL COSBY GREAT AGAIN"

[Guinevere]

Ha. I knew you were going to post something like this. Of course, my point wasn't whether you were right or wrong, but that it is not unusual for a jury to be out for four days. I don't see you refuting that.

As for "calling the right shot" it's pretty easy to predict that the jury is deadlocked, *after* the jury reports to the judge that they are deadlocked. Next time, make your prediction at the start of deliberations, and then you can get the credit if you are correct.

[Burning Petard]

"Now that William H. Cosby Jr. has been to trial before a jury of his peers, 'twelve good men and true', and the case could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, he is found to be "not guilty" and is now free — correct?"

NOT CORRECT ! ! ! It is not a default decision if the jury could not convict, neither could they exonerate. He WAS NOT judged not guilty.

Mis-trial means he was not judged, period. Do it all again.

snailgate

[BoSoxGal]

Apparently it was 10 to 2 for conviction, with much passionate deliberation as the yays attempted to convince the holdouts.

Hopefully the prosecution team will talk with the jurors willing to speak to them and figure out how to strengthen the case for the next go around. That said, the reason sexual assault cases have a high acquittal rate is largely due to inherent prejudices held by jurors which are not honestly admitted in voir dire. Still, I wish them much luck.

[RayThom]

... Hopefully the prosecution team will talk with the jurors willing to speak to them and figure out how to strengthen the case for the next go around...

There's loads of money to be made here by this jury -- media exposure, and maybe even a book or two. The jury will probably be on all the major news programs in the near future so all the prosecution team will need do is tune in to get all the dirt.

Unfortunately, after all this exposure, I don't see a realistic chance for a retrial in this case. There are over ten civil lawsuits filed that still await him. He'll probably be in court for the rest of his miserable, God forsaken, life.

Dr. William Henry Cosby Jr. : "America's Dud"

[ex-khobar Andy]

Hopefully the prosecution team will talk with the jurors willing to speak to them and figure out how to strengthen the case for the next go around.

I think (based on nothing more than reading the papers) that Cosby was guilty of at least some of the alleged assaults.

But is that really a possibility? Can the prosecution round up the jury and find out what went right and what went wrong? Does the same right apply to the defense? And if, as you imply, it is voluntary could a jury member be willing to talk to the prosecution but not to the defense? Does this vary by state or is it federal rules?

My presumption has always been that jury deliberations are secret. I thought that this was the rule although often breached.

[BoSoxGal]

There is a federal rule that bars the use of juror testimony on deliberations in proceedings intending to impeach the verdict; however a very recent SCOTUS ruling carved out an exception to this rule in the case where racial bias was exhibited during deliberation to a verdict. Much discussion about this in the criminal law community as we speak.

Various states allow jurors to be contacted by the parties or media after verdict, always at the juror's discretion - which means she can choose to talk to one side but not the other, or to talk to the press or write a book but not to speak with the attorneys.

Some jurisdictions allow jurors to speak with media, etc., but prohibit counsel from contacting them under counsel's ethical rules specific to that state. I'm not intimately familiar with those kind of rules because I didn't practice subject to one, but I would guess that the juror isn't prohibited from reaching out to counsel on her own accord if she so desires.

Grand jurors are a different animal and can be subject to secrecy extending beyond impanelment and possibly indefinitely depending on the type of matter under consideration.

That's a nutshell of my recollection, but with Swiss cheese brain I'll leave it to the others to fill in blanks or correct inaccurate info.

[BoSoxGal]

I have no words . . .

Bill Cosby plans tour to teach teens how to avoid being charged with a sex crime after the collapse of his sexual assault trial.

Bill Cosby is eager to get back to work now that his sexual assault case has ended in a mistrial, and the disgraced comedian already has a tour in the works according to his spokesperson.

Andrew Wyatt appeared on Good Day Alabama on Wednesday, and announced that the 79-year-old actor plans to host a series of town halls educating teenagers, young athletes and even married men about how to avoid being charged with a sex crime.

It was then revealed by Wyatt that one of those town halls would be taking place 'some time in July' in Birmingham.

Wyatt appeared on the show along with Camille Cosby's spokesperson and fellow Alabama native Ebonee Benson in their first televised interview since the case ended in a mistrial on Saturday.

At one point, the host of the show, Janice Rogers, said of these proposed town halls: 'Is it sort of a do as I say not as I do thing?'

The reference to Cosby's infidelities with a number of other women and admission to giving some of those women Quaaludes caused both Wyatt and Benson to burst out in laughter.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... rimes.html