Jury set for Cosby trial
Defence protests number of blacks
The jury that will decide to convict or acquit comedian Bill Cosby at his upcoming sexual assault trial in the Philadelphia area was chosen on Wednesday, even as the defence says prosecutors are trying to exclude black people from the panel.
A fresh set of about 100 prospective jurors were called on Wednesday in a Pittsburgh courtroom.
The 12 regular jurors have been selected, and all but two are white. Judge Steven O’Neill, who seated the final juror and six alternates on Wednesday, rejected the defence’s arguments, saying he would reconsider if lawyers for Cosby can provide statistical evidence.
Cosby, 79, is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, a former basketball coach at his Temple University alma mater, at his Philadelphia home in 2004.
Dozens of other women have come forward in recent years to accuse Cosby of similar sexual abuse, but Constand’s allegations are the only ones to result in criminal charges, in part because many of the other claims stretch as far back as decades. O’Neill will allow one other accuser to testify at the trial.
Cosby, whose reputation as America’s favourite TV dad has been irreparably sullied, has denied any wrongdoing and said every sexual encounter was consensual.
O’Neill has questioned potential jurors extensively on issues like how familiar they are with the Cosby scandal and whether they know victims of sexual assault.
Once selected, the jurors will be transported 480km to Montgomery County near Philadelphia and sequestered during the trial, which begins on June 5. Last week, Cosby suggested in a rare radio interview that he has been treated worse during the scandal because he is black.
The comedian dropped a bombshell when he confessed to the media that he had been blind for a few years and hiding his condition from the public and his fans. –