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First juror selected for Bill Cosby retrial

A single juror has been selected to serve on the sex assault retrial of Bill Cosby.
Splash News

Splash News

The panelist, a white man in his 20s, was one of the few people who said he’d never heard of the allegations leveled against the comedian, known as “America’s Dad” for his beloved role as Dr. Cliff Huxtable on “The Cosby Show.”

Since the iconic sitcom, Cosby has been accused by some 60 women of inappropriate behavior ranging from harassment to rape, with the allegations dating as far back as the 1960s.

Cosby, 80, is currently facing retrial on three charges of aggravated indecent assault. He’s accused of drugging and molesting Temple University employee Andrea Constand in his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

Jurors deadlocked following nearly 60 hours of deliberations in Cosby’s June 2017 trial on the same charges.

A total of 92 potential jurors were tossed Monday, with both sides exercising only one preemptive strike each.

Twenty-seven men and women are expected to return Tuesday for further vetting.

Another potential juror was dismissed Monday after she said that both she and a close family member had been the victims of sex assault. Though the woman indicated she could be fair and impartial, Cosby’s attorneys had her tossed from the pool.

The comedian shared a table with each potential juror as they were questioned, leaning forward and smiling as they answered questions posed to them by Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neill.

Apparently chilly in the draft courthouse, he spent the afternoon with a duster draped across his legs. When one woman said she couldn’t be fair and impartial, he applauded her briefly.

Of the 120 people questioned, a single person said they were unaware of the #MeToo movement. Only 10 potential jurors said they’d never heard of the allegations leveled against Cosby.

A new batch of 120 people are scheduled to report to court Tuesday for further selection.

Opening statements are scheduled for April 9, and the trial is expected to last a month.

If convicted, Cosby, who is out on bail, faces up to 30 years behind bars.

Source: Page Six

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