Bill Cosby spoke to reporters just moments after the last juror was chosen for his sexual assault trial Wednesday.
His voice, however, was difficult to hear due to the noise of a nearby water fountain.
“I just want to be very specific about the wonderful people of Allegheny County,” he said. “I want to also thank the sheriff’s department because they made everything very, very smooth here.”
It took three days to select the 12 jurors and six alternates.
Two of the jurors are black, a man and women who are both in their 30's. Five of the jurors are white men in their 20's or early 30's.
One juror says he knows nothing about the Cosby case because he only watches sports.
Two of the jurors are middle-aged white women and one is a teacher.
On Wednesday, Cosby's lawyers claimed the prosecution was systematically excluding African-Americans from the jury, but the judge rejected that argument.
Cosby was present in the courtroom for jury selection the entire time.
One selected juror was abruptly dismissed after he posted on his Facebook page: "I’m not supposed to talk about it but I got picked for Cosby."
Opening arguments are set to begin June 5.
Cosby is standing trial for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, an assistant basketball coach at Temple University, in 2004.
Cosby has denied all allegations against him.
The jurors will be sequestered at a hotel for the duration of the trial, which is expected to last two weeks. They'll be allowed access to TV, iPads and the internet, but they must avoid all news reports about the trial.
Source : https://www.yahoo.com/news/billy-cosby-breaks-silence-final-163100689.html
His voice, however, was difficult to hear due to the noise of a nearby water fountain.
“I just want to be very specific about the wonderful people of Allegheny County,” he said. “I want to also thank the sheriff’s department because they made everything very, very smooth here.”
It took three days to select the 12 jurors and six alternates.
Two of the jurors are black, a man and women who are both in their 30's. Five of the jurors are white men in their 20's or early 30's.
One juror says he knows nothing about the Cosby case because he only watches sports.
Two of the jurors are middle-aged white women and one is a teacher.
On Wednesday, Cosby's lawyers claimed the prosecution was systematically excluding African-Americans from the jury, but the judge rejected that argument.
Cosby was present in the courtroom for jury selection the entire time.
One selected juror was abruptly dismissed after he posted on his Facebook page: "I’m not supposed to talk about it but I got picked for Cosby."
Opening arguments are set to begin June 5.
Cosby is standing trial for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, an assistant basketball coach at Temple University, in 2004.
Cosby has denied all allegations against him.
The jurors will be sequestered at a hotel for the duration of the trial, which is expected to last two weeks. They'll be allowed access to TV, iPads and the internet, but they must avoid all news reports about the trial.
Source : https://www.yahoo.com/news/billy-cosby-breaks-silence-final-163100689.html
