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| Actor and comedian Bill Cosby arrives at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown |
A Pennsylvania judge on Saturday declared a mistrial in Bill Cosby’s sex assault case after the jury said it could not reach a verdict, but prosecutors said they will retry Cosby.
The embattled entertainer still faces other legal woes, including civil lawsuits.
About 60 women have accused Cosby of sexually assaulting them, effectively ending the long career of the entertainer once known as “America’s dad” for his role in the 1980s television hit “The Cosby Show.”
The jurors, who spent 53 hours debating whether Cosby was guilty or innocent, told Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge Steven O’Neill they could not reach unanimous verdicts on whether Cosby was guilty of three counts of aggressive indecent assault against college administrator Andrea Constand at his home near Philadelphia in 2004.
The case was the only one to result in a criminal trial, largely because the other accusations were too old to prosecute.
Saturday’s result was a victory for the comedian, who avoided up to a decade in prison.
It is also a blow to the dozens of women who have said they were sexually assaulted by Cosby. Several accusers were in court all week awaiting a verdict and wearing buttons that read “We Stand in Truth.”
Cosby has said any sexual activity was consensual. He still faces at least four civil lawsuits from at least ten accusers.
Cosby’s starring role as beloved dad Heathcliff Huxtable in “The Cosby Show” made him a household name, bolstering a reputation built on years of family-friendly standup comedy routines.
His popularity also made him an in-demand product endorser, and he appeared in commercials for Jell-O, Coca-Cola, Ford and others.
He co-starred in the 1960s espionage show “I Spy,” the first black perfomer to star in a weekly American TV dramatic series.
Cosby said in a radio interview before the trial that he hoped to resume his performing career after the Constand case was resolved.
The jury appeared unable to agree on which version of the night in question to believe: Constand’s or Cosby’s. They spent days asking to have testimony read back, including Constand’s testimony at trial as well as the first report she made to police in 2005.
They also reviewed statements Cosby made about the incident under oath during Constand’s civil lawsuit in 2005 and 2006. Cosby chose not to testify at trial.
