Race, gender, fame all issues as Cosby jury selection starts

<p>Lawyers in Bill Cosby's sex assault case this week hope to find a dozen jurors and six alternates willing to be sequestered nearly 300 miles from home.</p>

News 12 Staff

May 22, 2017, 11:37 AM

Updated 2,550 days ago

Share:

By MARYCLAIRE DALE
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Thirteen years after a Temple University basketball team manager went to famous alumni Bill Cosby's nearby home for career advice, her complaint that Cosby drugged and molested her that night will soon be a task for a Pennsylvania jury.
Lawyers this week hope to find a dozen jurors and six alternates willing to spend two weeks or more sequestered nearly 300 miles (482 kilometers) from home.
The case has attracted worldwide publicity the judge hopes to shield from jurors when the trial starts June 5 in suburban Philadelphia. Jurors are being chosen in Pittsburgh starting Monday.
"You want to see if they're a celebrity-conscious person - if they read celebrity stuff, if they worship celebrity," trial consultant Howard Varinsky said. "Prosecutors have to be very worried about fans."
The lawyers also will be weighing a potential juror's race, gender, age, occupation and interests as the questioning gets underway. They hope to tease out whether they relate more to the beloved actor who brought the world Fat Albert, Dr. Cliff Huxtable and bemused quips about family and fatherhood, or a woman who was rebuffed when she first filed a police complaint, only to relive the case a decade later after Cosby's testimony from her lawsuit became public and dozens of other accusers came forward to support her.
"In a normal case, juries are all banging the door to get out, bringing up every hardship in the world," Varinsky said. "But on this case, you're going to see people that may lie to get on, and people who convince themselves that they can be fair, but they can't."
"Whatever side you're on, you have to really weed through this," he said. "I'm looking (as a consultant) for every single micro-expression, each body movement."
Jurors will be dismissed "for cause" if they admit to strong views about the case or persuade the judge they have family, health or financial situations that prevent them from serving. After that, each side can strike seven people during jury selection and three more when they choose alternates.
Accuser Andrea Constand went to police in January 2005 to report that Cosby had sexually assaulted her a year earlier. She had left Temple the previous March and was back home in the Toronto area, setting aside a life in basketball to retrain as a massage therapist.
Then-District Attorney Bruce Castor declined to press charges. Constand then sued the comedian, negotiating a settlement after he gave sworn testimony about a string of sexual liaisons with young women. Cosby admitted giving some of them pills or alcohol beforehand.
New prosecutors read that testimony and reopened the case in mid-2015. Cosby was arrested on Dec. 30, 2015, days before the 12-year statute of limitations expired. He has pleaded not guilty and remains free on $1 million bail.
He told a talk show host this week that he hopes to beat back the charges and resume his career.
"I want people to understand my work as an artist and a performer," he said. "I want to get back to the laughter and the enjoyment of things that I've written and things that I perform on stage."
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News 12 has recently updated to a brand new version of our iOS and Android apps.  If you don’t have auto updates enabled on your devices, head to the App Store or Google Play Store to update to the latest version.  This will ensure you keep getting up-to-date local news, traffic and weather information.


More from News 12
1:48
Erratic school bus driver in Monsey identified, traced to private school

Erratic school bus driver in Monsey identified, traced to private school

2:00
Nearby coastal storm sending round of moisture toward the Hudson Valley

Nearby coastal storm sending round of moisture toward the Hudson Valley

0:37
Police: Hyde Park Central School District BOCES student dies in crash, 3 others injured

Police: Hyde Park Central School District BOCES student dies in crash, 3 others injured

0:37
North Rockland School District awarded $2.4 M for Universal pre-K programs

North Rockland School District awarded $2.4 M for Universal pre-K programs

0:32
Westchester nonprofit receives more money to fight food insecurity

Westchester nonprofit receives more money to fight food insecurity

1:23
DA spokesperson: SUNY Purchase protesters arrested at pro-Palestinian encampment may avoid prosecution

DA spokesperson: SUNY Purchase protesters arrested at pro-Palestinian encampment may avoid prosecution

1:31
Senior club celebrates WWII veteran's 100th birthday

Senior club celebrates WWII veteran's 100th birthday

1:45
Hudson Valley advocates in Washington, DC lobbying for traffic safety project funding

Hudson Valley advocates in Washington, DC lobbying for traffic safety project funding

1:49
Biden administration seeks to reclassify marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule III.  What this means and its impacts on businesses

Biden administration seeks to reclassify marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule III. What this means and its impacts on businesses

0:53
Exclusive footage reveals moments before Yonkers school bus crash

Exclusive footage reveals moments before Yonkers school bus crash

1:31
Search underway for missing Westchester County teenagers

Search underway for missing Westchester County teenagers

1:28
Caught on camera: Family's dog fends off bear in Sullivan County

Caught on camera: Family's dog fends off bear in Sullivan County

0:32
Westchester County offering free mosquito dunks ahead of peak mosquito season

Westchester County offering free mosquito dunks ahead of peak mosquito season

0:37
Police arrest masked man seen on nighttime Ring video at Port Jervis family’s doorstep

Police arrest masked man seen on nighttime Ring video at Port Jervis family’s doorstep

0:40
4-day weekend! Some school districts extend Memorial Day weekend

4-day weekend! Some school districts extend Memorial Day weekend

Giants making 'Hard Knocks' debut in a new series focusing on the offseason

Giants making 'Hard Knocks' debut in a new series focusing on the offseason

0:33
Authorities: Goshen parolee arrested after weapons found in home

Authorities: Goshen parolee arrested after weapons found in home

0:44
SUNY New Paltz graduation ceremonies split, held indoors 2 weeks after dozens of pro-Palestinian protester arrests on campus

SUNY New Paltz graduation ceremonies split, held indoors 2 weeks after dozens of pro-Palestinian protester arrests on campus

1:41
Croton to flip commuter lot into new housing

Croton to flip commuter lot into new housing

0:54
FAA faces shortage of air traffic controllers, including in Hudson Valley

FAA faces shortage of air traffic controllers, including in Hudson Valley