Twitter Reacts To Bill Cosby's Mistrial Verdict In Andrea Constand Trial
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In what may be viewed as a victory for the defense, Judge Steven T. O'Neill declared a mistrial Saturday in the Bill Cosby sexual assault trial as jurors in Norristown, Pennsylvania, had been deadlocked since Monday. The famed comedian's defense had supported a mistrial but Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steel quickly announced that he will retry the case.
The 79-year-old had pleaded not guilty to three counts of aggravated indecent assault.
Though dozens of women accused Cosby of sexual assault, the trial only involved Andrea Constand, the former director of operations for Temple University's women's basketball team, who accused Cosby of drugging her in 2004.
District Atrorney will retry #BillCosby in Andrea Constand case
— Linsey Davis (@LinseyDavis) June 17, 2017
Read: A Look Into Camille Cosby's Life
After 52 hours of deliberating, jurors failed to come to a unanimous decision beyond a reasonable doubt -- a requirement for criminal cases.
“Reasonable doubt is a standard of proof used in criminal trials. When a criminal defendant is prosecuted, the prosecutor must prove the defendant's guilt Beyond a Reasonable Doubt,” the free legal dictionary writes. “A preponderance of the evidence simply means that one side has more evidence in its favor than the other, even by the smallest degree.”
The jury said they were in a deadlock Thursday, but Judge O’Neill asked them to reconsider and come to a unanimous decision. “I'm going to allow this to go as long as this jury wishes to continue to deliberate,” Judge O'Neill said Friday.
Thank you to all of my fans and supporters — here in Norristown and worldwide. #BillCosby pic.twitter.com/ESgHwflWdi
— Bill Cosby (@BillCosby) June 16, 2017
There were 12 people on the jury. Six white men, four white women, one black man and one black woman.
Aside from seeking clarity on “reasonable doubt,” jurors also wanted a review of Cosby’s deposition in which he talked about obtaining quaaludes, a sedative that is no longer sold.
During her testimony, Constand claimed the comedian, affectionately known as “America’s Dad” for his years on the sitcom "The Cosby Show," gave her three blue pills. He claimed they would help her relax, saying they were herbal.
“Put them down, they're your friends. They'll take the edge off,” Cosby told Constand, according to her testimony. “I said ‘I trust you.’ I took the pills and I swallowed the pills down.”
Thank you to all of my fans and supporters — here in Norristown and worldwide. pic.twitter.com/SlosGdEhyq
— Bill Cosby (@BillCosby) June 16, 2017
READ: Bill Cosby Pushes For Mistrial As Jury
Soon, Constand felt dizzy and started to slur her words. When she felt “frozen,” Cosby placed her on the couch and sexually assaulted her without Constand’s consent.
“I felt really humiliated and I was really confused,” she said about waking up the next morning on Cosby’s coach, her clothes a mess. “I just wanted to go home.”
In the deposition, Cosby claimed the pills he gave Constand were the allergy medication Benadryl. Last year, however, Cosby admitted he obtained seven prescriptions for quaaludes to administer to women he wanted to have sex with.
.@LisaBloom: No one can accuse this jury of not working hard. They spent more time deliberating than the trial. #AMJoy #Cosby #BillCosby
— AM Joy w/Joy Reid (@amjoyshow) June 17, 2017
>60 women accused #BillCosby of #sexassault w consistent stories. Statues ran out. They still spoke. Hung jury is an insult to all survivors
— Lauren Wolfe (@Wolfe321) June 17, 2017
Gloria Allred, who reps 33 of the #BillCosby accusers:
— Alex Holley (@AlexHolleyFOX29) June 17, 2017
"We can never underestimate the blinding power of celebrity.But justice will come"
Follow me on Twitter @mariamzzarella
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