Juror Says Bill Cosby 'Already Paid His Price'

[Mr. Television]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrit...b7Kz&ocid=iehp

Juror Says Bill Cosby 'Already Paid His Price'

One member of the hung jury in Bill Cosby's mistrial said Thursday that the chance of reaching a verdict was "hopeless" from the start and the marathon deliberations got so tense that men and women were crying by the end.


The panel was deeply divided — "up the middle" — as they tried to decide if the comedian was guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and molesting Andrea Constand in 2004, the anonymous juror told NBC affiliate WPXI in an exclusive interview.

The juror declined to say how he voted, but called Cosby "very honest" and questioned Constand's actions, including a yearlong delay in reporting the alleged assault.


He also said it would be a "waste of money" to retry Cosby and thinks the star — who has been accused of sexual misconduct by 50-plus women over the last two years — has been punished enough.

"Whatever the man did, he has already paid his price, paid and suffered," the juror told WPXI. "He's looking bad. I was wondering if he was going to make it through the whole trial."

Among the juror's other disclosures:

When the jury first told the judge it was deadlocked on June 15, the votes on the three counts were 7-5, 5-7, and 5-6 with one abstention. Two days later, the vote on one of the counts was 10-2, but then several jurors changed their minds, making it a more even split again.

The jury got hung up on legal terms. They struggled over phrases like "reckless," "severely impaired," "unconscious," and "unreasonable" included in the three counts they had to decide. "We needed a dictionary," the juror said.

Behind closed doors, the group discussed rumors about the scandal not disclosed during the trial. The juror said he heard scuttlebutt that a judge reached out to Constand and reopened the case because the statute of limitations was about to expire.



Other jurors have declined to speak to NBC News. One alternate who was not part of any deliberations said he would have voted to convict Cosby, who denies Constand's allegations and the accusations of other women.

The judge released juror names Wednesday but warned them not to disclose any votes cast by fellow jurors or anything said or done in the jury room that would indicate another juror's opinion.

The jury, chosen in Pittsburgh and bused to the courthouse near Philadelphia, was sequestered throughout the 11-day trial. They deliberated in a 13-foot by 16-foot conference room for 12 hours at a stretch.

"It was hopeless, from the first time on," the juror said.

He said some jurors "zeroed in" on Constand's actions.

"When you ask for help on your resignation letter, which she did, and Mr. Cosby invites her to his home and she arrived in a bare midriff with incense and bath salts, that's a question," he said.

The comment appeared to conflate several different incidents: The night of the alleged assault, when Constand discussed her resignation with Cosby; an earlier visit in which she brought incense as a gift; and a later visit in which she said she delivered some bath salts as a favor to a friend.

The juror noted that it took Constand a year to report the alleged assault to police. Referring to testimony from an expert who said that's not unusual for sexual assault survivors, the juror said, "That's hard for me to believe."

The decision not to charge Cosby in 2005 also was a sticking point for the juror, who said he didn't understand why the investigation was reopened.

"I think they created this whole thing — a case that settled in '05 and we had to bring it up again in '17 with no new evidence," he said.

"I asked did they find some stained clothing or something? ... And they [other jurors] said no, it was this judge who opened this dang case."

It was actually the Montgomery County DA's office that decided to reopen the case. Prosecutors said their interest was renewed after a judge unsealed Cosby's damaging deposition in a 2006 civil suit that was filed by Constand and settled out of court.

Parts of that deposition were read to the jury, along with Cosby's statement to police about the encounter with Constand.

"You could believe from his testimony what he did, but not from hers," the juror said.

He said he thought Cosby's fame, but not his race, fueled the scandal that paved the way for the criminal case. "He testified these women pursued him," the juror said, apparently referencing parts of Cosby's deposition in which he discussed affairs with other women.

By the juror's account, the panel's votes did not split by race, gender or age. "There was a real mix," he said.

After five long days and nights, emotions boiled over, though he shot down a report that a male juror smashed his hand into a concrete wall in frustration.

"There were crying by men and women — and more than one," he said. "Tears came towards the end, it was so tense."

Cosby pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting Constand and said the encounter was consensual. He has also denied accusations of misconduct by more than 50 other women and sued some of them for defamation.

[1960'sTVfan]

In my opinion, the only thing Bill Cosby is guilty of is cheating on his wife and straying outside of his marriage. I don't believe he drugged and raped anybody, I believe these encounters he had with various women were consentual and the women were willing participants. Cosby used to tour around the country and complain about young african american males, he'd complain about how they dress and how they behave, so it makes me wonder if maybe his comments pissed somebody off and all of a sudden this smear campaign started to try and damage Cosby's career and reputation.

[MA]

So is he not guilty?

[robyrob]

Originally Posted by MikaelaArsenault

So is he not guilty?

no, he just has not been convicted.

if you drug someone against their will - which he has admitted to - then the "sex" is anything but consensual. With the sheer number of women involved, some of which have corroborating witnesses - it is hard to imagine that all of them are just making everything up. Most of them have stated that he threatened to destroy their careers or sue them or scared them out of saying anything - how are they going to go to the police when they often can't even remember what happened and have no evidence? Who is going to believe them when they accuse a notable public figure of such atrocious acts? The women that he did pay off to keep quiet doesn't prove that he was guilty, but again the sheer number of these incidents begs the question - how can they all be lying?

He hasn't suffered from these accusations (everyone gets old - I'd wager he's a lot more comfortable than most his age and they certainly "dressed" him up to look pathetic to sway the jury) - he is laughing all the way home to his millions; and this latest money-grubbing idea for a "tour" to teach young people how to get away with sexual assault is insulting and just abhorrent.

[Mr. Television]

Originally Posted by retroTVfan4ever

In my opinion, the only thing Bill Cosby is guilty of is cheating on his wife and straying outside of his marriage. I don't believe he drugged and raped anybody, I believe these encounters he had with various women were consentual and the women were willing participants. Cosby used to tour around the country and complain about young african american males, he'd complain about how they dress and how they behave, so it makes me wonder if maybe his comments pissed somebody off and all of a sudden this smear campaign started to try and damage Cosby's career and reputation.

He's already admitted he drugged them.

[Mr. Television]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/...bfcL&ocid=iehp

Cosby juror says Andrea Constand should have ‘dressed properly’

The male juror who said Andrea Constand should have been "dressed properly" when she visited Bill Cosby's house got a dressing down by two of the comedian's other accusers Friday.


Accusers Linda Kirkpatrick and Lili Bernard attended Cosby's sexual assault trial in suburban Philadelphia this month and said they were deeply distressed by the juror's comments to the Philadelphia Enquirer.

"People ask, 'Why don't victims come forward sooner?' Well, it's because of comments like this. Because we know we'll be blamed," Kirkpatrick, 60, told the Daily News.

"This is the type of archaic thinking that says a wife can't be raped, a prostitute can't be raped, a stripper can't be raped,” she added. “They can be."

Bernard, 53, echoed those sentiments.

"I wasn't surprised by the hung jury, but I was flabbergasted by the ignorance spewing out of this man's mouth. It's just senseless," Bernard said.

"It's a reminder of how we need to educate society. We need to debunk these rape myths.”

In his interview with The Enquirer, the unidentified juror suggested Constand proved her interest in a romantic relationship with Cosby by wearing clothing that exposed some of her midriff during a visit to the actor's suburban Philadelphia mansion.

He also found fault with the incense and bath salts Constand brought to Cosby, proving he wasn't swayed by her testimony the bath salts were actually from a different friend and only delivered by Constand with the belief they were for Cosby's wife.

"Let's face it: She went up to his house with a bare midriff and incense and bath salts. What the heck?" the man told the newspaper.

He said Constand should have gone to Cosby's home only if she was "dressed properly and left the incense in the store."

The man said he found Cosby's words to police and during depositions more believable than Constand's account of what happened the night of her alleged assault in January 2004.

"He was extremely honest. He admitted to things," the juror said of Cosby.

The juror also viewed Constand's mother as the driving force behind her decision to report the incident to police a year after it occurred.

"It was her mother who forced all this," he told The Enquirer.

"'She should have reported it sooner,' and, 'Look what she was wearing,' says the man who's never been sexually assaulted before," Kirkpatrick said Friday. "This is rape culture, to blame the victim."

Cosby, 79, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of aggravated indecent assault.

He did not testify at his trial this month but claimed in a 2005 police report and civil depositions that his sexual contact with Constand was consensual.

Cosby claimed he gave Constand Benadryl pills that he described to her as "three friends." He admitted he never told her what the pills were.

Constand, 44, gave a much different account during seven hours of intense, often emotional, testimony during trial.

The former head of women's basketball operations at Cosby's alma mater, Temple University, said she considered the actor a mentor and father figure before she went to his Elkins Park mansion to discuss her future career plans.

She said he offered her three unidentified pills and assured her they were "herbal."

Shortly after swallowing the pills, she said her voice began to slur, her vision blurred and she lost her ability to resist.

She recalled feeling powerless as Cosby groped her breasts, penetrated her with his fingers and forced her to touch his penis.

"In my head, I was trying to get my hands to move or my legs to move but I was frozen," Constand told jurors in her first-ever public comments about the alleged assault.

Constand fought back tears as she described her surprise violation by the TV icon who was a respected trustee where she worked.

"I wasn't able to fight in any way," Constand testified. "I wanted it to stop."

Shortly after Montgomery County Judge Steven T. O'Neill accepted the jury's impasse and declared a mistrial last Saturday, prosecutors vowed to re-try the case with another full-blown trial.

Speaking to The Enquirer, the male juror said Cosby had already "paid dearly" in terms of damage to his reputation and should be left alone.



"That shows complete ignorance of how rape impacts the victim. It's a miscarriage of justice," Bernard said Friday.

"That trial was like a three-ring circus of rape culture. (Cosby's lawyer) Brian McMonagle was up there waxing poetic with his rape myths, and unfortunately, some of the jurors apparently bought it.”

Bernard, now an artist and mom living in Los Angeles, claims she was drugged and raped by Cosby in the early 1990s after he cast her on "The Cosby Show" as a pregnant patient of his character Dr. Cliff Huxtable.

Kirkpatrick stepped forward in early 2015 and said she met Cosby in 1981 when she played against him in a Las Vegas tennis tournament and got invited to the greenroom at his casino comedy show.

She said Cosby fed her a clear drink in a champagne glass that tasted so "terrible" she only finished half. Kirkpatrick said she blacked out for most of the show and woke up to find Cosby on top of her, kissing her forcefully.

The juror who spoke to The Enquirer said the panel of seven men and five women did not openly discuss the allegations of the 60 other women who have accused Cosby of some type of sexual misconduct. But he said he believed many of the other accusations were fabricated.

"This is ridiculous, unbelievable," he said. "I think more than half jumped on the bandwagon."

Bernard said she was "disgusted" by the man's comments.

"There is no perfect victim for him. He's going to find fault," she said.

"Clearly the holdout jurors confused the wholesomeness of the fictitious Dr. Huxtable with what Cosby really is — a depraved, cowardly, drugging, serial rapist."

[1960'sTVfan]

Originally Posted by Mr. Television

He's already admitted he drugged them.

Just because he gave them drugs doesn't make it a crime. Maybe these women took the drugs willingly, maybe they wanted to get high and have a fling with Cosby. Now years later, they cry out and complain about it. I am skeptical about this whole thing. Unless definite proof comes out supporting the claims against Cosby, as far as I'm concerned, not staying true to his marriage is all he's guilty of.

[MRPITT]

Originally Posted by retroTVfan4ever

so it makes me wonder if maybe his comments pissed somebody off and all of a sudden this smear campaign started to try and damage Cosby's career and reputation.

Sounds like he may have drugged you

[MA]

Originally Posted by robyrob

no, he just has not been convicted.

if you drug someone against their will - which he has admitted to - then the "sex" is anything but consensual. With the sheer number of women involved, some of which have corroborating witnesses - it is hard to imagine that all of them are just making everything up. Most of them have stated that he threatened to destroy their careers or sue them or scared them out of saying anything - how are they going to go to the police when they often can't even remember what happened and have no evidence? Who is going to believe them when they accuse a notable public figure of such atrocious acts? The women that he did pay off to keep quiet doesn't prove that he was guilty, but again the sheer number of these incidents begs the question - how can they all be lying?

He hasn't suffered from these accusations (everyone gets old - I'd wager he's a lot more comfortable than most his age and they certainly "dressed" him up to look pathetic to sway the jury) - he is laughing all the way home to his millions; and this latest money-grubbing idea for a "tour" to teach young people how to get away with sexual assault is insulting and just abhorrent.

Oh.

[1960'sTVfan]

Originally Posted by robyrob

if you drug someone against their will - which he has admitted to - then the "sex" is anything but consensual. With the sheer number of women involved, some of which have corroborating witnesses - it is hard to imagine that all of them are just making everything up. Most of them have stated that he threatened to destroy their careers or sue them or scared them out of saying anything - how are they going to go to the police when they often can't even remember what happened and have no evidence? Who is going to believe them when they accuse a notable public figure of such atrocious acts? The women that he did pay off to keep quiet doesn't prove that he was guilty, but again the sheer number of these incidents begs the question - how can they all be lying?

He hasn't suffered from these accusations (everyone gets old - I'd wager he's a lot more comfortable than most his age and they certainly "dressed" him up to look pathetic to sway the jury) - he is laughing all the way home to his millions; and this latest money-grubbing idea for a "tour" to teach young people how to get away with sexual assault is insulting and just abhorrent.

If they aren't lying, then they have to provide the proof. Where's the proof? If Cosby is truly guilty of the accusations, it would be a shame because of his good guy/family man image people looked up to.

This tour Cosby is talking about is not to teach people how to get away with sexual assault. It's to teach people how to protect themselves from false accusations in this crazy society where the slightest thing like a brush against the shoulder can be twisted around and claimed as sexual assault. It's going to get to the point where people lock themselves up in their houses and not have anything to do with anybody.

[1960'sTVfan]

Originally Posted by MRPITT

Sounds like he may have drugged you

I don't do drugs and never have. Wouldn't surprise me though if your brain is completely fried due to excessive use of various drugs and substances.

[Mr. Television]

It's hard to convict a celebrity. People keep looking at them as their tv character and not for who they really are.

[Retro4Life]

"When you ask for help on your resignation letter, which she did, and Mr. Cosby invites her to his home and she arrived in a bare midriff with incense and bath salts, that's a question," he said.

So she deserved it? Was "asking" for it? What a hideous attitude.

A woman could be walking buck naked down the street and she is still not "asking" to be raped.

For that matter, if a prostitute says "no" halfway through to a john, and he keeps going, that's rape, IMO.

NOBODY asks for rape. NOBODY WANTS to be violated, or deserves to be violated. Women should be able to wear whatever they want without fear that it's "giving a signal" to men.

Men are capable of thinking, of reasoning, and of controlling their urges. To think otherwise is to let them abrogate their social and moral responsibility.

This juror makes me sick.

[Anna Karenina]

This juror was biased from the beginning I suspect.

No compassion for Miss Constandt and the trauma she endured.

[Anna Karenina]

Originally Posted by Mr. Television

It's hard to convict a celebrity. People keep looking at them as their tv character and not for who they really are.

True that.