1 woman's story of rape convinced all Weinstein trial jurors - The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Most of the jurors astatine Harvey Weinstein’s Los Angeles trial were acceptable to convict him of crimes related to 3 of the four women helium was charged with raping oregon sexually assaulting.

Yet aft weeks of deliberation the 8 men and 4 women voted unanimously to convict him of crimes against lone one: a Russian-born exemplary and actor known arsenic Jane Doe 1. She lived successful Rome and was visiting California for a movie festival astatine property 34 successful 2013, erstwhile she said the now-disgraced movie mogul appeared uninvited astatine her Los Angeles edifice country doorway successful the mediate of the night.

The jurors were released from work and allowed to speech publically aft much than 2 months Tuesday, erstwhile they could not scope a unanimous decision connected 2 aggravating factors that mightiness person made for a higher sentence. Their deliberations took 9 days spanning much than 2 weeks, but those who spoke to reporters said the talks were ne'er contentious.

Weinstein was recovered blameworthy of 1 number of rape and 2 counts of intersexual battle against Jane Doe 1. He present faces up to 18 years successful situation successful California to spell with a 23-year condemnation for a rape and intersexual battle condemnation successful New York.

Jurors said that Jane Doe 1′s composure, and the information that she did not interaction Weinstein aft helium raped her, allowed the divided radical to scope statement connected her accusations.

“I thought Jane Doe 1 was precise convincing successful her story,” said 1 juror, a 62-year-old antheral who works successful banking and lone provided his archetypal name, Michael, due to the fact that helium sought to support privateness amid the publicity surrounding the case.

The carnal and method evidence surrounding Jane Doe 1 was immoderate of the thinnest astatine the trial, but jurors were told that nether the law, if they recovered an accuser’s communicative credible, that unsocial could beryllium capable to convict.

They acquitted Weinstein connected a number of sexual artillery against a massage therapist. They were deadlocked, with 10 of 12 voting for guilt, connected a number of intersexual artillery against exemplary Lauren Young; and voting 8-4 successful favour of condemnation connected rape and intersexual battle counts involving Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and woman of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Jane Doe 1 lone 1 among them who had nary further nonstop dealings with Weinstein oregon his representatives aft the incident. She testified she had hardly known who helium was, having been introduced lone concisely astatine the movie festival, and wanted thing from him. Others, including Siebel Newsom, had affable email exchanges with Weinstein oregon sought retired aboriginal meetings aft their incidents, a constituent the defence pounded successful their cross-examinations and closing arguments.

That resonated with immoderate jurors.

Michael said helium voted to convict connected the Jane Doe 1 counts, but reluctantly voted to acquit connected the counts involving Siebel Newsom. The difference, helium said, was the women’s “subsequent action.”

“In a 2 ½ twelvemonth play she had sent Mr. Weinstein implicit 35 emails,” helium said of Siebel Newsom. “She wanted entree to Harvey Weinstein. It sounded similar she wanted entree to a batch of his resources. It raised a tenable uncertainty successful my mind.”

Weinstein has repeatedly denied engaging successful immoderate non-consensual sex. His lawyers called immoderate of the encounters successful the charges consensual and others flat-out fabricated, including the communicative told by Jane Doe 1. They pointed retired that prosecutors had not adjacent produced autarkic grounds to spot Weinstein astatine her hotel.

“Jane Doe 1 is lying. Period,” Weinstein lawyer Alan Jackson said successful his closing argument.

One juror suggested that the wide connection was undermined by defence arguments that engaged with the details of Jane Doe 1′s account.

“I deliberation Jackson’s past remark wherever Harvey conscionable wasn’t there, wounded him,” said the juror, Arnold Esqueda, who works arsenic manager of information for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. “They were defending each these things, and past they conscionable accidental he’s not there. Well they should person conscionable said he’s not there.”

He said helium and different jurors made that constituent to a “very aged school” antheral connected the assemblage who who “decided that helium was going ballot blameworthy connected that one. He stayed beauteous overmuch not blameworthy connected the rest.”

While tearful astatine times, Jane Doe 1′s grounds was restrained and straightforward successful examination to immoderate that followed. She spoke dilatory with a Russian accent, and made astir nary usage of a translator connected hand.

Esqueda said the intensely emotional grounds of Siebel Newsom, who was screaming done tears astatine times during her testimony, mightiness person been excessively overmuch for immoderate chap jurors. The sheet was divided 6-6 connected the counts involving her erstwhile helium suggested getting a read-back of her grounds from the tribunal reporter.

“She had a small drama,” Esqueda said. “So I suggested let’s re-read it, and I deliberation aft we work it it switched a mates of radical successful her favor, without the drama.”

Changes implicit clip successful the massage therapist’s communicative helped pb jurors to acquit connected that count, Michael said.

The Associated Press does not typically sanction radical who person said they were sexually abused, unless they travel guardant publically oregon person fixed consent done their attorneys, arsenic Young and Siebel Newsom have.

Judge Lisa Lench tentatively scheduled Weinstein’s sentencing for Jan. 9 aft his attorneys asked that it beryllium done promptly.

But Lench said it mightiness not hap truthful rapidly fixed the issues surrounding the case, including prosecutors’ pending determination connected whether oregon not to retry the deadlocked counts.

“We’ll request to consult the victims archetypal and foremost,” Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson said.

He asked the justice if different Weinstein accusers, including immoderate who testified against him astatine proceedings but were not portion of the charges, and the women whose counts were deadlocked, mightiness springiness unfortunate interaction statements astatine the sentencing.

Lench promptly rejected the idea.

“I’m not going to marque this an unfastened forum connected each of the allegations that were presented successful this trial,” she said.

“So it’ll conscionable beryllium Jane Doe 1 then,” Thompson replied.

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton connected Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton

___

For much connected the Harvey Weinstein trial, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/harvey-weinstein