When asked why he thought the jury was unable to come to a unanimous verdict in this case, former Philadelphia prosecutor Kevin Harden Junior said that the jurors probably had doubts regarding Constand's credibility and cited the fact that only one of Cosby's other accusers had been allowed to testify: "By limiting evidence of other accusers, the Court focused the jury on whether the prosecution presented enough credible evidence to convict Cosby of this particular assault".
Attorney Eli Segal of Pepper Hamilton LLP, representing the media organizations, argued that the names of jurors is of "extraordinary public importance" and that news outlets have a First Amendment right to it.
Hoping to retry the Cosby case, Kevin R. Steele, the district attorney for Pennsylvania's Montgomery County, says the prosecution has a window of 365 days to officially do so.
A judge will hear arguments on whether the names of the jurors at Bill Cosby's sexual assault trial should be made public. He did, however, advise them that speaking publicly about the case could cause problems in the case of a new trial, which prosecutors have vowed is coming.
Concerns about the case's visibility had already prompted O'Neill to import jurors for the first trial from Pittsburgh, around 300 miles (480 km) from the courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia.
Constand pursued criminal charges against Cosby in 2005 and got nowhere, not because detectives didn't believe her but because her case didn't seem winnable.
"It can never be clearer that if you speak up, you could be chilling the justice system in the future if jurors are needed in this case."
"I don't know why he wasn't convicted", McCloskey said of Cosby.
Islamic State group releases footage of Iran Parliament attack
The Isis terror group claimed responsibility for what it is thought to be the first attack linked to the militants in Iran. Following deadly attacks on Tehran on June 7, Iran has initiated a response, targeting those responsible for the attacks.
The jury that said it was "hopelessly deadlocked" on Saturday was selected in Pittsburgh, then bused to suburban Philadelphia and sequestered during 11 days of testimony and deliberations.
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done. Cosby has called their sexual encounter consensual. One of the alternate jurors in Bill Cosby's sex assault case has gone public.
Mr. Cosby was alleged to have drugged and sexually assaulted the accuser, Andrea Constand, in a January 2004 incident.
McCoskey said the mistrial declaration was "really sad" for Constand.
More important for future victims is to remove the cultural and legal obstacles - from celebrity worship to court secrecy - that still make it too hard for women to get justice after they've been sexually assaulted.
He remains free on $1 million bail.
Cosby, the actor and comedian once known as "America's Dad", was charged with three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault. O'Neill could schedule the retrial within weeks. Several of them attended the criminal trial with their layers. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
Comments