What the Harvey Weinstein jury asked during the 1st day of deliberations
The Harvey Weinstein jury is headed into the second day of deliberations after wrapping up Tuesday with no verdict reached.
The disgraced movie mogul is facing sexual assault and rape charges and has pleaded not guilty. At the center of the case are Mimi Haleyi's allegation that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006 and Jessica Mann's allegation that Weinstein raped her in 2013. Four other accusers testified in the trial, including Annabella Sciorra, whose testimony is being used to support the charge of predatory sexual assault.
On Tuesday, the jury asked why there are no "stand-alone" charges in Sciorra's case, which is too old to prosecute, Deadline reports. This question, Deadline observes, could indicate jurors have "some confusion about Sciorra's role in the trial." The judge instructed the jury not to speculate on any charges other than the ones before them.
The jury also asked for the legal definition of the charges and clarification about the circumstances under which they can find Weinstein guilty of some counts but not others. The jurors have an "intricate task" ahead of them, The Wrap notes, as they cannot find him guilty on all five counts. For example, as The Wrap explains, "If the jury finds Weinstein guilty of count three, predatory sexual assault (pertaining to Mann and Sciorra), then the jurors must disregard counts four and five, which are the two rape charges connected to Mann's account."
Jurors asked as well to review a blueprint of the apartment where Haleyi alleges Weinstein assaulted her, as well as emails where Weinstein listed out to a private investigator the names of women he thought could be cooperating with Ronan Farrow.
Jury deliberations are set to resume on Wednesday morning.
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