The Pennsylvania judge presiding over the Bill Cosby case declared a mistrial on Saturday after jurors said they were deadlocked over charges that the comedian had sexually assaulted a woman at his Philadelphia-area home in 2004, reported The Guardian.
The jurors had been deliberating since Monday. The panel told Judge Steven T O’Neill that they were unable to reach a consensus against Cosby, who is facing three counts of aggravated indecent assault.
The judge asked: “Do you agree that there is a hopeless deadlock that cannot be resolved by further deliberations?” Each juror said yes, reported CNBC.
The prosecutors will now have four months to decide whether to retry Cosby on the same charges at a later date. They will also have to decide if the case is strong enough to justify another high profile trial.
The two women who testified against Cosby must also determine whether they are willing to undergo another round of cross-examination.
Cosby has been accused of drugging and abusing nearly 60 women. This was the only criminal trial he had faced till date. He appeared to know a mistrial was coming. Hours before any announcement, he had thanked his supporters on Twitter.
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