The jury has yet to come to a decision in Bill Cosby's trial in Pennsylvania. After more than 50 hours of deliberation, the 12 men and women are still unable to decide if Cosby is guilty or not. Because of this, Stephen O'Neill, the Montgomery County judge presiding over the Case, ordered the jurors to further deliberate on Saturday, June 17th.
Working weekends
It is not uncommon for jurors to deliberate over the weekends. This happens quite often, even in court cases that are not "high profile." It appears that the judge will have the jury working until they reach a decision.
The jury spoke with the judge, explaining that they were unable to come to a decision. Because of this, Judge O'Neill issued a “Spencer charge.” This means the jury has to continue deliberating and needs to reach a verdict in the case.
Duties not being taken lightly
It appears that the jurors are taking their jury duty seriously. They have asked to hear testimony again. The jury has done this more than once. Even so, they have been unable to decide the fate of the 79-year-old Cosby. Brian McMonagle, Bill Cosby's criminal defense attorney, is also taking his job seriously. He asked Judge O'Neill to declare a mistrial on six different occasions. Despite his persistence, the judge refused.
Mistrial is possible
If the jury is unable to reach a verdict, the judge would need to declare a mistrial. If this happens, it will be up to the prosecutors to decide if they want to re-try Bill Cosby. At the time of publication, it is unknown if they will be seeking a second trial for Cosby.
Bill Cosby is world-famous for his comedy and several different television series.
He spent decades entertaining Americans as well as people around the world. He is perhaps best known for “Fat Albert,” an African-American cartoon series, and “The Cosby Show.”
Rumors have circulated for decades about Cosby sexually assaulting women. In past incidents, he settled such cases out of court, giving his accusers money.
Although dozens of women have come forward to accuse Cosby, this is the first time criminal charges have been brought against him.
Do you believe Bill Cosby is guilty or innocent? Do you find it strange that only one woman has brought criminal charges against him instead of seeking a monetary resolution? If the jury cannot reach a verdict and there is a mistrial, should Bill Cosby be re-tried? Share your thoughts and feelings in the comment section below.
Update: according to CNN, a mistrial has been declared.
