Houston Chronicle Sunday

Mistrial declared

Prosecutor­s vow to try again as defense claims vindicatio­n

- By Maryclaire Dale and Michael R. Sisak ASSOCIATED PRESS

After a jury deadlocked, the district attorney vows to put Bill Cosby on trial again on assault charges.

NORRISTOWN, Pa. — Prosecutor­s found themselves back to square one Saturday after the jury in Bill Cosby’s sexual assault case declared itself hopelessly deadlocked, resulting in a mistrial for the 79-year-old TV star facing accusation­s he drugged and molested a woman more than a decade ago.

Cosby’s team declared victory, however temporary, as the comedian and actor once known as “America’s Dad” for his TV role as paternal Dr. Cliff Huxtable avoided a conviction on Father’s Day weekend.

Excoriated by the defense for charging Cosby in the first place, District Attorney Kevin Steele vowed to put him on trial a second time, saying accuser Andrea Constand supported the decision.

“She has shown such courage through this, and we are in awe of what she has done,” Steele said. “She’s entitled to a verdict in this case.” Seeds of doubt

By sowing doubt among one or more jurors, Cosby’s lawyers managed to overcome two years of unrelentin­g bad publicity for their client after the public release of his damaging testimony about drugs and sex, as well as a barrage of accusation­s from 60 women who came forward to accuse him of sexual assault.

Constand’s 2004 encounter with Cosby at his suburban Philadelph­ia estate was the only one to result in criminal charges.

She told jurors that Cosby gave her pills that made her woozy and then penetrated her with his fingers as she lay paralyzed on a couch, unable to tell him to stop.

But the accused is not ready to give up. “She’s ready to go again,” said her lawyer, Dolores Troiani, of a retrial. “She’s a very spiritual woman, she believes things happen for a purpose, and I think the purpose is … it should encourage other women to come forward and have their day in court.”

Troiani acknowledg­ed the difficulty of the case, given the passage of time and the impact of the alleged drugging on Constand’s ability to recall details.

The jury deliberate­d more than 52 hours over six days before telling a judge they couldn’t reach a unanimous decision on any of the three counts against the comedian, ending the trial without a verdict. Cosby’s wife angry

Cosby’s team immediatel­y went on the attack.

The entertaine­r’s wife of 53 years, Camille, slammed prosecutor­s for bringing the case to court, calling Steele “heinously and exploitive­ly ambitious” in a statement released after the trial. She also criticized the judge, the accuser’s lawyers and the media.

“How do I describe the judge? Overtly arrogant, collaborat­ing with the district attorney,” said her statement, which was tweeted by her husband and read by an associate of the public relations firm representi­ng Cosby.

Cosby himself didn’t comment, remaining stoic as the judge declared a mistrial.

The jurors clearly struggled with their verdict, telling the judge on Thursday they were at impasse. Judge Steven O’Neill instructed them to keep working toward a unanimous decision. On Saturday, they came back and told O’Neill they were hopelessly deadlocked.

The judge sought to comfort the jurors, at least one of whom fought back tears, calling their epic deliberati­on “one of the more courageous acts, one of the more selfless acts that I’ve seen in the justice system. … I feel bad for all of you, I really do.”

It wasn’t immediatel­y known how many jurors wanted to convict and how many wanted to acquit. None of the jurors commented after the trial ended.

 ?? Matt Slocum / AP ??
Matt Slocum / AP
 ?? Matt Slocum / Associated Press ?? Bill Cosby arrives for court on Saturday. He did not comment on the mistrial in his case, but his wife had plenty to say in a fiery statement.
Matt Slocum / Associated Press Bill Cosby arrives for court on Saturday. He did not comment on the mistrial in his case, but his wife had plenty to say in a fiery statement.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States