UPDATED: Guilty verdict in Bill Cosby Case (threads merged)

[judiz]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2017/06/17/us/bill-cosby-verdict-watch/index.html

 

[AxelAnnie]

A rather fascinating development.

I hope they do not retry the case. I wonder how much this trial cost the good people of Pennsylvania.

 

[Coco]

I was watching The Keepers when I heard about this. It's disgusting what 3rd parties tolerate and ignore.

 

[meggonzo]

A rather fascinating development.

I hope they do not retry the case. I wonder how much this trial cost the good people of Pennsylvania.

oh FFS, do you think we shouldn't have criminal trials because it costs taxpayers money?

 

[AxelAnnie]

Don't be silly. They could not make their case.
So they want a do over. The initial reaction is generally retry it

They are talking about different and lesser charges. I don't think their case will get stronger with time? New evidence is going to show up .? Where does this all go? I will be surprised if the re try it. And I do wonder what it costs the citizens.
Does anyone know who the jury hung?

Single Charge? Most serious charge? All charges?

And, the District Attorney who is an elected official pretty much has to say he is going to do a re-trial at this point, or people might wonder if, with a less than convincing case, why he brought it in the first place.

FYI this does not have to do with the innocence or guilt involved, but rather the nuts and bolts of getting a conviction at this point.

 

[AxelAnnie]

I was watching The Keepers when I heard about this. It's disgusting what 3rd parties tolerate and ignore.

What third parties? The jury? Do you think they ignored stuff? Stuff they should have differently weighted .? Or do you mean people who were not in the court room and who are voicing their opinion .?

 

[misskarne]

Why will I die of not surprised that @AxelAnnie thinks a rape case should not be retried...

I suppose you think those girls should have just kept their legs shut, too.

 

[caseyedwards]

I was shocked at how pathetically weak this case was! I believe any guilty verdict came from a social justice warrior type person.

 

[overedge]

I was shocked at how pathetically weak this case was! I believe any guilty verdict came from a social justice warrior type person.

There was no guilty verdict, you f*ckwit.

 

[overedge]

FYI this does not have to do with the innocence or guilt involved,

Then why do you care so much about whether there should be a retrial?

 

[AxelAnnie]

Why will I die of not surprised that @AxelAnnie thinks a rape case should not be retried...

I suppose you think those girls should have just kept their legs shut, too.

Silly.way to make a coherent and reasoned argument on the topic.

 

[Coco]

There was no guilty verdict, you f*ckwit.

A deadlocked jury means that some are voting guilty and some are voting to acquit. So I believe those are guilty verdicts that caseyedwards was referring to. Guilty votes would probably have been a more accurate term, but the point she or he was making seemed obvious enough.

 

[overedge]

A deadlocked jury means that some are voting guilty and some are voting to acquit. So I believe those are guilty verdicts that caseyedwards was referring to. Guilty votes would probably have been a more accurate term, but the point she or he was making seemed obvious enough.

Apparently not.

It's also obvious that accusing those voters of being "social justice warriors" is stupid. Unless @caseyedwards can read minds, in which case they could be doing more profitable things than posting on FSU.

 

[PeterG]

I don't think their case will get stronger with time?

Maybe the publicity from this trial will result in a 60th (or more) woman (women) coming forward. From what I understand, most of the other women were not allowed to testify because of statute of limitations? So if others were victims of Cosby from more recent times, that could definitely turn things around.

 

[allezfred]

I was shocked at how pathetically weak this case was! I believe any guilty verdict came from a social justice warrior type person.

Implying that fighting for social justice is a bad thing should give us all a clue as to where caseyedwards is coming from, ie nowhere good.

 

[misskarne]

Silly.way to make a coherent and reasoned argument on the topic.

It's not like you'd listen if I did, because undoubtedly you think this is all those silly girls' fault.

 

[genevieve]

The outcome is disappointing, but better than a not guilty verdict. I think this was a very difficult case to try, given the length of time, the lack of convictions in rape cases in general, and the celebrity of the defendant. It's not justice, but there is some cold comfort that Bill Cosby's career and legacy are gone. He's an old man now, but still alive to see everything he built up come crumbling down, as a direct result of his actions. Public image has been very important to him, so that's no small thing.

I grieved a lot for the image I had of Bill Cosby growing up when all this came out; now I just see him as yet another man who thought he was so powerful he could get away with anything.

 

[gkelly]

If you want to muddy the discussion further...
[url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/06/17/cosbys-sex-assault-trial-has-ended-with-a-mistrial-these-people-believe-its-all-a-conspiracy/?utm_term=.510f0d0d463e&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1]
Cosby’s sex assault trial has ended with a mistrial. These people believe it’s all a conspiracy.[/URL]

 

[caseyedwards]

There was no guilty verdict, you f*ckwit.

Haven't you ever seen a judge poll a jury? The question is always "juror number 1 is this your verdict?" Verdict is both individual and collective! This type of nastiness coming from ignorance is just totally unacceptable. Or maybe you just forgot!

A deadlocked jury means that some are voting guilty and some are voting to acquit. So I believe those are guilty verdicts that caseyedwards was referring to. Guilty votes would probably have been a more accurate term, but the point she or he was making seemed obvious enough.

Mostly right on the money! Some are just so ridiculous!

Implying that fighting for social justice is a bad thing should give us all a clue as to where caseyedwards is coming from, ie nowhere good.

It's a bad thing when your job is to go By the law! Being sjw in juror box ignoring evidence and voting to send a man to jail is a very horrible thing.

 

[allezfred]

It's a bad thing when your job is to go By the law! Being sjw in juror box ignoring evidence and voting to send a man to jail is a very horrible thing.

This isn't about the verdict in the trial. It's your use of "social justice warrior" as pejorative. Next thing you know you'll be using "virtue signalling" as if having virtues is a bad thing.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Social justice has no place in a jury room. After hearing the facts presented, the jury...collectively could neither agree to convict or acquit. Period
At the end of the day the evidence wss not strong enough for s conviction.

Have any of the jury members spoken publically?

 

[Coco]

Well, I do support jury nullification when it is warranted, but that is people voting to acquit when the facts could lead someone to conclude 'guilty.' I can't support voting guilty because you 'know' even if the prosecution didn't prove it. That would be wrong, imo.

 

[overedge]

Haven't you ever seen a judge poll a jury? The question is always "juror number 1 is this your verdict?" Verdict is both individual and collective! This type of nastiness coming from ignorance is just totally unacceptable. Or maybe you just forgot!

You are the last person who should be accusing other posters of nastiness and ignorance.

Speaking of ignorance, not every justice system allows the judge to question individual jurors in public about their vote.

 

[LilJen]

If you want to muddy the discussion further...
Cosby’s sex assault trial has ended with a mistrial. These people believe it’s all a conspiracy.

His whole legacy is sullied. There's a kid named Noah on campus and I always want to give the "NOAH" voice when I see him, like Cosby's very humorous version of God & Noah talking. . . but then, nope. Everything is tainted. Even if the guy is never legally convicted of a crime, his reputation is totally busted.

 

[AxelAnnie]

There is a really good article in the New Yorker, authored by a Harvard law professor. The article does a good job of explaining how jurors may not have believed Constandt was lying, but that there were other factors that left her account short of "beyond a reasonable doubt.

"The Legal Meaning of the Cosby Trial"

But it would be wrong to take away from the hung jury the message that sexual-assault victims are widely and simply disbelieved. The jury result instead reflects exactly the conflict, and ambivalence, we have between honorable legal principles that for good reason structurally bias criminal trials against conviction, and our cherished ideal that sexual-assault victims should be believed and vindicated.

 

[allezfred]

Social justice has no place in a jury room. After hearing the facts presented, the jury...collectively could neither agree to convict or acquit. Period
At the end of the day the evidence wss not strong enough for s conviction

Way to miss my point.

 

[jenny12]

This isn't about the verdict in the trial. It's your use of "social justice warrior" as pejorative. Next thing you know you'll be using "virtue signalling" as if having virtues is a bad thing.

Indeed. I know some love using "social justice warrior" as an insult, but it sounds awesome to me: someone who fights for equality? Sign me up!

 

[once_upon]

What the true injustice will be are the women (and men) who will not report sexual assaults because in a society where our celebrities - i.e. Mr Trump, Mr Cosby, or several former and current super star athletes state publicly their prowess - and do not face the criminal consequences of their actions, how will they get justice when the star swimmer or frat brother or the date who sexually assaults them?

In a society where RAIIN statistics estimates, that every 98 seconds someone, (men women children,) experience a sexual assault or attempted assault. Where 9 out of every 10 victims are female. This non conviction is a huge blow to those victims. That will be the injustice. If someone who is brave enough to come forward gets torn apart and not believed, then why bother.

It's true that juries can be a hung jury, it's true you need to look at the evidence presented, I've been on several juries. But as humans we can be swayed by celebrities' status, what we remember them to be/what we want them to be and perhaps blinded by the spotlight. So we disbelieve the "regular" person for destroying our celebrities.

Why do I have such a visceral reaction to this? As a victim, I know that sometimes you are just not ready to divulge until years later. Many women/men feel so unclean, so dirty, that they shower for hours to rid themselves (mostly unsuccessfully) of the feeling of being violated. They burn or throw out clothing. They destroy physical evidence because it makes them feel dirty, violated. You've been violated and you're supposed to report it immediately and be violated all over again - maybe by police doing scraping of your clothing, certainly by medical staff inspecting your most important body parts related to your sexuality, and most certainly anyone who hears your story. Both men and women are reluctant to report.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Way to miss my point.

What was your point?

 

[Yazmeen]

One of the main things that frosted me was how did Cosby seemingly suddenly go from a guy who "healthy" enough to do standup to a doddering old man who is "blind" and requires the support of others on his arm to even walk into the courtroom? He's putting on quite the frailty show these days. And his attorney is now pushing the "worried about his health" line after the mistrial. I realized he's aged and it's been stated he is legally blind, but this is beginning to look like quite an act on his part.