The jury in the Harvey Weinstein trial has been deliberating since Tuesday. Today they announced they were deadlocked on two counts of predatory sexual assault which are the most serious charges Weinstein is facing. They have apparently reached an agreement on three other charges:
In a note sent to the judge during their lunch break, jurors posed a question asking if it were permissible for them to be hung on two counts of predatory sexual assault while reaching a unanimous verdict on other three charges.
After consulting with prosecutors and Weinstein’s lawyers, Judge James Burke told the jury of seven men and five women to keep working toward a unanimous verdict on all charges and sent them back to continue deliberating…
The jury, in its fourth day of deliberations, has been particularly focused on the key aspect of two counts of predatory sexual assault: “Sopranos” actress Annabella Sciorra’s allegations that Weinstein raped and forcibly performed oral sex on her in the mid-1990s. Those charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The sexual assault charges carry a sentence of between 15 years and life. Two of the other charges the jury has apparently reached agreement on carry sentences of 5-25 years. So it would be a significant win for Weinstein if the jury can’t convict on those more serious charges.
Earlier this week, Jazz wrote about concerns that, despite the general consensus Weinstein is a pig and guilty as sin, there may not be enough physical evidence to convict him. In fact, the NY Post piece Jazz was highlighting by Miranda Devine included this line: “Prepare for an acquittal or a deadlock after the jury goes out Tuesday, because anyone who has sat through the trial can see the prosecution has struggled to prove its case.” We still don’t know where this will end up, but clearly Devine was on to something given the deadlock on the most serious counts.
But the fact is that a conviction on the other counts would still likely put him behind bars for several years. He’s already 67 years old and he still faces separate charges in California. It would be disappointing if he doesn’t get convicted on all counts in this trial but it won’t take very much to amount to a life sentence in this case.
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