The jury passed a partial verdict against former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein in one of the three sex crimes charges labelled against him. Meanwhile, deliberations on the other charge will continue, according to AP.
According to NBC, the jury found Weinstein guilty of first-degree criminal sexual act in regard to victim Miriam Haley, and not guilty of the charges in connection with Koja Sokola’s allegations. Meanwhile, there is still a pending deliberation related to the third charge, of third-degree rape. The judge has ordered the jury to continue deliberating the rape charge until the court reconvenes for the next time.
Courtroom drama ensued, leading to a ‘partial’ verdict
After a lengthy courtroom drama, one of the jurors stated in a meeting attended by the judge, prosecution, and defense that a major disturbance had occurred among the jury members. This issue began after one of the jurors stood firm on the stand that he would “not be changing his position”. According to NBC News, the judge said that the particular juror appeared to threaten one of his peers, and even reportedly challenged the person to “meet him outside one day.” After hearing about the incident, the judge recommended a cooling-off period, after which the partial verdict was reached.
An AP report read, “The split verdict meted out a measure of vindication to his accusers and prosecutors — but also to Weinstein — in the landmark case. The partial verdict came after an extraordinary day in which the jury foreperson indicated he felt bullied and Weinstein himself urged the judge to halt the trial.”
“My life is on the line, and you know what? It’s not fair,” the former Hollywood heavy-hitter was quoted as saying.
“It’s time, it’s time, it’s time, it’s time to say this trial is over,” Weinstein continued, as reported by AP.