Celebrity News February 24, 2020
Harvey Weinstein Found Guilty on Two of Five Charges in Sexual Assault Case
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After another day of deliberations, the jury in Harvey Weinstein's trial has reached a verdict in his rape and sexual assault case.
Weinstein has been found guilty of criminal sexual assault in the first degree and rape in the third degree. He was convicted on two of the five charges against him, but was found not guilty on two counts of predatory sexual assault and of rape in the first degree.
Last week, the jury was reportedly deadlocked on the most serious charges. On Friday, the jurors sent a note to the judge, asking what to do if they could not reach a verdict on the two counts of predatory sexual assault that could have landed Weinstein in prison for life.
According to Variety, the jury asked, “We the jury request to understand if we can be hung on 1 and/or 3 and unanimous on the other charges.” Weinstein was ultimately found not guilty on both count 1 and count 3.
After conferring with the attorneys for both sides, Justice James Burke instructed the jury to continue to deliberate. He told the court, “It is not uncommon for a jury to believe they will never reach a unanimous verdict but on further deliberation, they are often able to reach a unanimous verdict.”
He added, “If you do not reach a unanimous agreement on a particular count, you cannot return a verdict at that count. Thank you for your hard work. Please go resume your deliberations.”
Weinstein was accused of sexually assaulting Miriam Haley in 2006 and raping Jessica Mann in 2013. The two predatory sexual assault counts also include the allegation that Weinstein raped Annabella Sciorra in the '90s. He is not being charged for Sciorra's alleged rape since it's outside the statute of limitations.
Prior to the verdict, “Extra” spoke with Gloria Allred, who is representing several of Weinstein's accusers, including Sciorra, who worked with him on “Cop Land” and “The Night We Never Met.” She said, “I'm hoping there is a verdict in this case and that it's a just verdict.”
