Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Associated Press
NORRISTOWN, PA>
An alternate juror in Bill Cosby’s sexual assault case said Monday he “probably” would have voted to convict and was “ridiculously sick” when he found out the main jury couldn’t reach a verdict.
A mistrial was declared Saturday after jurors said they were hopelessly deadlocked. Prosecutors plan to retry the 79-year-old star on charges he drugged and molested a woman in 2004.
As an alternate, Mike McCloskey heard all the testimony but didn’t participate in deliberations.
He told Pittsburgh radio station WDVE that jurors did not discuss the case on the bus ride after the trial, maintaining “complete silence.” The trial took place outside Philadelphia, but the jury came from the Pittsburgh area.
“It was the craziest, eeriest bus ride I’ve ever taken,” said McCloskey, 43.
McCloskey posted his juror’s badge on Facebook as proof of his role in the case. He did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press on Monday.
Jurors deliberated more than 52 hours over six days before telling a judge they couldn’t break their deadlock. The juror’s names haven’t been made public and the split on the vote hasn’t been disclosed, shrouding the case in mystery.
Prosecutors are fighting to keep the jurors’ identities a secret, arguing in court documents Monday that releasing them would result in a “publicity onslaught” and make picking a jury for the second trial more difficult. Media organizations urged a judge to release them, saying the public has an interest in “confirming that the outcome of the first trial was the result of an impartial process.”
Pennsylvania law allows the public release of jurors’ names, but judges have discretion to keep them a secret under certain conditions.
Judge Steven O’Neill, who presided over the Cosby trial, has yet to rule on the release of the names.
Cosby remains free on $1 million bail in the criminal case. O’Neill could schedule the retrial within weeks.