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The Jury Is Deadlocked in Bill Cosby’s Sexual Assault Trial

Bill Cosby’s victims have finally gotten their day in court through the testimony of one of his accusers, Andrea Constand—but after nearly four days of deliberation, the jury still hasn’t been able to decide whether or not the 79-year-old TV star is guilty.

Constand is a former Temple University basketball program employee and the only woman whose accusations have led to criminal charges against Cosby, according to CNN

Constand testified that one night in 2004, at Cosby’s home near Philadelphia, Cosby gave her pills that caused her to feel dizzy and “frozen,” CNN reports. In her testimony, she said that she would have stopped Cosby if she were able to, but the pills kept her from moving, according to The Chicago Tribune. 

Jurors heard Cosby’s testimony from 2005, in which the comedian said that Constand did not say anything as he touched her body that night in 2004, according to the Tribune.

The Tribune reported that these allegations were settled back in 2005, but the case was recently reopened.

According to CNN, Constand has charged Cosby of “assaulting [her] without her consent, assaulting her when she was unconscious and assaulting her using drugs to substantially impair her ability to consent.”

If convicted, Cosby could potentially spend the rest of his life in prison.

Thursday morning, jurors told the judge that the case has reached a deadlock—and after more than 30 hours of deliberation, there is still no verdict, according to NPR.

The judge issued what is called an Allen or Spencer Charge, which basically means the jury has to go back, reexamine their opinions and deliberate further. If the jury is never able to reach a consensus,  the judge will have to declare a mistrial.

Dajin Kim is a Junior Advertising major at the University of Texas at Austin who was born and raised in Plano, Texas. In addition to being a feature writer for HerCampus, she enjoys chick flicks, meeting new people, long naps, and bowling. Dajin is a dedicated Dallas Mavericks fan and her favorite artists are the Chainsmokers and Black Bear. You can find her at the trendiest coffee shops in Austin brainstorming for new ideas or studying. By writing for HerCampus, she hopes that her passion for writing will allow her to connect with new people nationwide. Her instagram is @dajinkimm and her twitter is @dajin_kim
Darcy Schild is a University of Florida junior majoring in journalism. She's the Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus UFL and was previously a Her Campus national section editor. She spent Summer 2017 as an Editorial Intern at HC headquarters in Boston, where she oversaw the "How She Got There" section and wrote and edited feature articles and news blogs. She also helped create the weekly Her Campus Instagram Story series, Informed AF. Follow her on Twitter and on her blog, The Darcy Diaries.