A New York judge has declared a mistrial on the third-degree rape count in Harvey Weinstein’s sex crimes retrial after the jury foreman refused to return to deliberate. The foreman had expressed fear of being in the same room as fellow jurors, claiming they yelled at him to try and change his mind.
Weinstein was accused of sexually assaulting three women over a decade ago in New York City. The mistrial comes a day after the jury convicted Weinstein on one count of criminal sex act involving Mimi Haley and acquitted him of another count of criminal sex act involving Kaja Sokola.
The third count related to an alleged assault on aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. All three women have publicly come forward and testified during the trial. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said they are ready to try Weinstein again on the rape count after conferring with Mann.
Bragg thanked the three women for their “immense sacrifices” and praised their credibility despite being subjected to lengthy cross-examinations and accusations of lying. An attorney for Weinstein, Arthur Aidala, claimed jury misconduct and plans to appeal the conviction in the retrial.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-declares-mistrial-rape-count-harvey-weinstein-retrial/story?id=122773350