Entertainer Bill Cosby raises his fist as he leaves the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania, June 17, 2017, after a mistrial was announced in the trial against him.

Tracie Van Auken / EPA </s> (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Pool Photo via AP). Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, right, Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Kristen, center, and Bill Cosby's defense attorney Angela Agrusa enter the courtroom during jury deliberat...

(Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Pool Photo via AP). Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, center, and Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Kristen, left, enter the courtroom during jury deliberations in Bill Cosy's sexual assault trial at t...

(Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Pool Photo via AP). Andrea Constand, right, returns to the courtroom at the Montgomery County Courthouse during Bill Cosby's sexual assault trial Thursday, June 15, 2017, in Norristown, Pa. Cosby is accused of drugging and sexual...

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum). Bill Cosby shakes hands with his lawyer Brian McMonagle as they leave the Montgomery County Courthouse during Cosby's sexual assault trial, Thursday, June 15, 2017, in Norristown, Pa.

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum). Bill Cosby leaves the Montgomery County Courthouse during his sexual assault trial, Thursday, June 15, 2017, in Norristown, Pa.

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A new round of deliberations is raising the prospects that Bill Cosby's sexual assault trial will end with a verdict instead of a hung jury.

Jurors who have appeared stressed and even angry seemed more upbeat as they left court outside Philadelphia Thursday night than on previous nights, despite enduring another marathon session.

The sequestered jurors had deliberated about 30 hours before telling Judge Steven O'Neill earlier Thursday that they couldn't reach a unanimous decision on any of the counts against the 79-year-old comedian. The judge told them to try again for a verdict.

As the jurors left for the day, O'Neill heaped praise on them, thanking them for their dedication and the sacrifice they've made being 300 miles (482 kilometers) from home in the Pittsburgh area.

"I want to reiterate how proud I am of each and every one of you," O'Neill said as he sent the jury back to the hotel. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything that you've done."

They will get back to it Friday morning.

Cosby is charged with three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault stemming from Andrea Constand's allegations that he drugged and violated her at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

Each count carries a maximum 10-year prison term, though the counts could be merged at sentencing if Cosby is convicted.

Cosby's lawyer said he and Constand were lovers sharing a consensual moment of intimacy.

The jury of seven men and five women have deliberated for nearly 40 hours since getting the case Monday.

Cosby's spokesman said the impasse showed that jurors doubted Constand's story.

"They're conflicted about the inconsistencies in Ms. Constand's testimony," spokesman Andrew Wyatt said. "And they're hearing Mr. C.'s testimony, and he's extremely truthful. And that's created this doubt."

Constand's lawyer, Dolores Troiani, said only that the "jury is apparently working very hard." The district attorney's office declined to comment.

Dozens of women have come forward to say Cosby had drugged and assaulted them, but this was the only case to result in criminal charges.

The jury must come to a unanimous decision to convict or acquit. If the panel can't break the deadlock, the judge could declare a hung jury and a mistrial. In that case, prosecutors would get four months to decide whether they want to retry the TV star or drop the charges.

The case has already helped demolish his image as America's Dad, cultivated during his eight-year run as kindly Dr. Cliff Huxtable on the top-rated "The Cosby Show" in the 1980s and '90s.

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.

For more on Cosby, including trial updates, historical photos, videos and an audio series exploring the case, visit http://www.apnews.com/tag/CosbyonTrial.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> Just after 10 a.m. today, the Bill Cosby sexual assault case ended in a mistrial. The long-awaited announcement was delivered to a packed gallery at the Montgomery County Courthouse just outside of Philadelphia. The jury announced it was hopelessly deadlocked on all of the three felony indecent sexual assault counts. 

 

It’s neither vindication nor victory, said the judge, who polled each jury member about the deadlock. They were all in agreement that they could not successfully reach a unanimous verdict. As such, defense moved for a mistrial, which was accepted. 

 

The judge credited the jury with “one of the most courageous acts” he has seen in the justice system. “I will forever hold you dear in my heart,” he told them. 

 

As the mistrial was announced, the 79-year-old comedian appeared calm beside his lawyers. There was little reaction in the courtroom. 

 

It had been a grueling week since the jurors began deliberating late Monday. Press, public and Cosby’s accusers and supporters have waited for sometimes 12-hour days at the courthouse for any sign that news was forthcoming. All told, the jury deliberated for 52 hours on the case. 

 

Throughout the high-profile trial, 13 witnesses testified, including Andrea Constand, the former sports director at Temple University who has accused Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting her in his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. Constand spent seven hours being grilled on the stand. Cosby, who continued to deny the allegations throughout the case, never testified in his own defense. 

 

As the jury deliberated, announcing days ago that they were deadlocked, Cosby’s legal team filed several motions for mistrial that were overruled by the judge. By late Friday night it was unclear if deliberations might proceed into next week or whether the trial would end in a hung jury. 

 

What happens next is up to the Montgomery County D.A.’s Office. Prosecutors will decide whether to retry the case. If a new trial is called, the TV star could face up to 10 years on each of the guilty charges pending, with fines of up to $25,000 each. He also faces an upcoming civil suit later this month in California. Cosby is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl at the Playboy mansion in 1974. </s> Jurors in the Bill Cosby sexual assault trial have returned for a fifth day of deliberations.

Jurors in the Bill Cosby sexual assault trial have returned for a fifth day of deliberations.

(Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Pool Photo via AP). Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, right, Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Kristen, center, and Bill Cosby's defense attorney Angela Agrusa enter the courtroom during jury deliberation

(Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Pool Photo via AP). Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, center, and Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Kristen, left, enter the courtroom during jury deliberations in Bill Cosy's sexual assault trial.

(Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Pool Photo via AP). Andrea Constand, right, returns to the courtroom at the Montgomery County Courthouse during Bill Cosby's sexual assault trial Thursday, June 15, 2017, in Norristown, Pa.

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum). Bill Cosby shakes hands with his lawyer Brian McMonagle as they leave the Montgomery County Courthouse during Cosby's sexual assault trial, Thursday, June 15, 2017, in Norristown, Pa.

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) - Bill Cosby thanked his fans and supporters on Friday as a jury deliberated sexual assault charges that could send him to prison for the rest of his life, sending a tweet shortly after the panel asked to review his devastating testimony about giving drugs to women he wanted to have sex with.

It was the first Twitter message from Cosby in more than a week and came as jurors spent a fifth day in talks, trying to break an impasse that has raised the possibility of a mistrial for the 79-year-old TV star.

The panel returned to the courtroom to listen to what Cosby had to say about his use of the now-banned party drug quaaludes.

Cosby testified in a 2006 deposition that he got seven prescriptions for the powerful sedative in the 1970s for the purpose of giving them to women before sex.

The testimony is relevant because Cosby is charged with drugging and molesting Andrea Constand at his home in 2004.

He has said he gave Benadryl to Constand, 44, before what he insisted was a consensual sexual encounter. Prosecutors have suggested he might have given her quaaludes.

Cosby, who gave the deposition as part of Constand's civil lawsuit against him, said in 2006 he never took quaaludes himself, preferring to keep it on hand for social situations.

"When you got the quaaludes, was it in your mind that you were going to use these quaaludes for young women that you wanted to have sex with?" Cosby was asked.

But he said he no longer had the quaaludes - a highly popular party drug in the 1970s that was banned in the U.S. in 1982 - when he met Constand in 2002 at Temple University.

Cosby's lawyer said he and Constand were lovers sharing a consensual moment of intimacy.

Jurors also asked for the definition of "reasonable doubt" on Friday, a day after telling the judge they were deadlocked on all charges and the judge instructed them to keep trying for a verdict.

The panel has been working for more than 40 hours since getting the case on Monday.

The jury went back to the deliberating room after having the quaaludes testimony read back to them and listening again to the definition of reasonable doubt, the threshold that prosecutions must cross to win a conviction.

Judge Steven O'Neill said Friday that defense lawyers have made at least four bids for a mistrial as the deliberations have worn on without a verdict. But he said he'd let the jurors work as long as they wanted. The judge brought Cosby into court to make sure he'd approved of the mistrial requests, asking the comedian if he knew that a mistrial would mean he could be prosecuted again.

O'Neill also called out Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt for taking to the courthouse steps and telling reporters the case should end in a mistrial.

"You have a spokesman who is explaining to the media what a mistrial means - at least what he believes a mistrial is," O'Neill told Cosby in court.

Dozens of women have come forward to say Cosby had drugged and assaulted them, but this was the only case to result in criminal charges.

The jury must come to a unanimous decision to convict or acquit. If the panel can't break the deadlock, the judge could declare a hung jury and a mistrial. In that case, prosecutors would get four months to decide whether they want to retry the TV star or drop the charges.

The case has already helped demolish his image as America's Dad, cultivated during his eight-year run as kindly Dr. Cliff Huxtable on the top-rated "The Cosby Show" in the 1980s and '90s.

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.

For more on Cosby, including trial updates, historical photos, videos and an audio series exploring the case, visit http://www.apnews.com/tag/CosbyonTrial.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> (UPDATED WITH D.A. ANNOUNCEMENT) A mistrial has been declared today in Bill Cosby’s criminal trial for the 2004 rape of Andrea Constand. The decision has for now spared the once-beloved actor from a potential decade behind bars, and comes at the end of over 50 hours of deliberation by the jury in Norristown, PA, which first went to Judge Steven O’Neill on June 15 to say it was deadlocked – at that time he told them to “try again,” which they’ve done for the past two days.

After just over an hour of deliberations on Saturday, the jurors informed the court that they were still “hopelessly deadlocked” on all the charges.

“After 52 hours of deliberation, probably one of the most courageous acts I’ve ever seen, I’m compelled to grant a mistrial,” said Judge O’Neill to the packed courtroom. Constand and several police officers who worked on the case were in the courtroom when the mistrial was announced today, as was Bill Cosby.

Not that this is all over for the 79-year old Cosby – at least not yet. Within minutes of the mistrial being declared, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office announced in court and online that they will retry the case.

The decision by O’Neill to end the legal purgatory could see D.A. Kevin Steele’s office seek an entirely new trial before the end of summer. Steele has four months to decide how he wants to pursue a new trial with a new jury for the current three felony charges of second-degree aggravated indecent assault or new ones. On June 16 in court, after a question from the jury, O’Neill made sure that Cosby understood he could be tried again if a mistrial was declared – the actor said he understood.

With that, D.A. Steele will likely want to find out what exactly led to the hung jury of seven men and five women. Even after saying he will seek a retrial, the D.A. could still also decide that another kick at the case in the Philadelphia suburb could result in a similar outcome or even a not guilty verdict, and withdraw the charges for good.

Either way, today’s mistrial doesn’t come as a total surprise. After hours locked away debating the merits of the case, the wind was blowing in that direction earlier on June 15 after the jury announced that morning it was in judicial gridlock over the charges that Cosby allegedly raped the then-Temple University employee in January 2004.

Praising their efforts so far, O’Neill on Thursday used his power under what is known as the Spencer Charge in Pennsylvania to send the sequestered jurors back into deliberation in hopes they could reach a consensus. The jurors did go back for nearly two more days and a few more questions of the court, but obviously to no avail in breaking their logjam.

Having charged Cosby in late 2015, just before the Keystone State’s statute of limitations on sex crimes was about to expire, a mistrial is a huge defeat for the office of the Montgomery County D.A. and Steele personally right now, regardless of any future retrial.

“This is a very straightforward case,” Steele told the jury in his June 12 closing argument about the alleged drugging and sexual assault of Constand at Cosby’s Philadelphia-area mansion. “If you have sexual relations with someone when they’re out, when they’re asleep, when they’re unconscious, that’s a crime,” the D.A. said of that January 2004 night in his more than two hours of remarks Monday.

The trio of charges Cosby faced and could face again break down to “penetration, however slight” of Constand without her consent, that penetration happened while Constand was “unconscious or the defendant knows the complainant is unaware that the penetration is occurring,” and giving the victim an intoxicating drug for “the purpose of preventing resistance.”

On the stand for nearly 10 hours on June 6-7, Constand recollected in sometimes graphic detail what happened in Cosby’s home, the “mentor” relationship she thought she had with the actor beforehand, his previous passes at her, and the aftermath of the alleged assault. Constand’s appearance as a witness was the first time Cosby’s 44-year-old accuser had publicly told her side of events that allegedly transpired at the actor’s mansion more than 13 years ago. Throughout the entire trial on the third floor of the Montgomery County courthouse, Cosby sat at the front at the defense table listening to the proceedings.

Resting their case in the June 5-starting trial less in than 10 minutes Monday, the defense decided not to call Cosby as witness in the only criminal case against the actor, even though more than 60 women have claimed he drugged and sexually assaulted them over the decades. Although the defense’s case was short, Cosby attorney Brian McMonagle gave a more than two-hour-long closing argument that saw his vocal volume go way up and chairs pounded often to punctuate his points about inconsistencies in Constand’s version of the events.

While admitting in an explosive unsealed deposition in Constand’s 2005 civil case that he had Quaaludes to give to women for sex before, and that he gave the then-Temple basketball staffer at least two Benadryl supposedly for stress, Cosby has always insisted the incident in question was consensual.

Never really reaching the proportions of the O.J. Simpson trial that once seemed a fair comparison, Cosby’s criminal trial also came as several civil cases against the actor still pending nationwide, like ex-America’s Next Top Model judge Janice Dickinson’s defamation action in Los Angeles.

As for the Pennsylvania trial, the decision by then-Montgomery County D.A Bruce Castor to not prosecute a criminal case in 2005 was left unclear and unexplored by both sides during the proceedings, a likely confusing factor for the jury. Add to that the convoluted nature of how Constand’s case was resurrected by former Montgomery County D.A. Risa Ferman in mid-2015 when Cosby’s much-leaked 2005 deposition officially made public by a federal judge, and you have a foggy legal timeline.

On top of that, and certainly the big button the defense pushed again and again during the trial, were those apparent inconsistencies in Constand’s version of what happened that 2004 night.

Exposing lapses or contradictions in Constand’s statements and her nearly 10-hour testimony on the stand last week, the defense was stymied in calling a former Constand acquaintance as a witness to supposedly reveal Constand’s motives in accusing Cosby. However, throughout the trial and in their closing argument, the defense centered on the admittedly close relationship Constand said she had with Cosby, how she finally got in touch with police more than a year later, and why she delayed in reporting the alleged rape.

Since going into deliberations Monday, the jury sought clarification on several separate occasions. The first time was on June 12, when the jurors wanted context around how Cosby referred to the Benadryl pills he gave Constand; the judge read to them the portion of the actor’s deposition from the 2005 civil case where Cosby called the pills “little friends.” Almost first thing on Thursday, the jury sought to look over police statements Constand made in 2005 and was read to again from Cosby’s 2005 deposition. That day the jurors heard from Judge O’Neill for about 45 minutes as he read the portions of the deposition centering on the night in question and the sequence of events.

Later on Tuesday, the jurors had another question of clarification, wanting to know what the phrase “without the knowledge” meant. O’Neill responded he couldn’t define the phrase for them. The third felony count that Cosby is charged with addresses the pills, identified in the trial as Benadryl, that the actor gave to Constand. Constand and prosecutors claim the pills left her unable “to fight him” as Cosby allegedly molested her.

On Tuesday afternoon, the jury asked to hear once again the testimony of Detective David Mason, the Toronto-area police officer who took Constand’s first statement in the matter in early 2005, soon after she told her family of the incident.

In their telling fifth question since deliberations began, the jurors Wednsday asked to have specific portions of Constand’s extensive testimony from last week read back to them. In total, Constand’s almost 10 hours of testimony runs to 300 pages, as O’Neill pointed out to the jury. He read aloud for about 30 minutes before the jury exited for more deliberations.

Well over the point of 20 hours of deliberation, the jurors had another question later on Wednesday, wanting to hear the testimony of Cheltenham Township County police Sgt. Richard Schaffer and his initial interview with Cosby in 2005 in New York after Constand and her family contacted Pennsylvania authorities about the alleged assault. Unfortunately, the transcript of that testimony wasn’t ready, so the jury took an early dinner break while the material was prepared by court officials. They eventually heard the testimony late on June 14.

Having announced that they were deadlocked and being sent back to keep trying on June 15, the jury didn’t have any questions on Thursday. However, within less than an hour of starting their deliberations today, the jury had a two-part seventh question that revealed just how fraught things had become. They wanted a definition for “reasonable doubt” and they wanted to re-hear the portion of Cosby’s deposition from Constand’s 2005 civil case against the comedian where he talked about giving Quaaludes to women he was having sex with.

Later on Friday, the jurors asked to hear part of the testimony of Constand’s mother Gianna from last week as well as look over Constand’s phone records in the months right after the alleged assault by Cosby in early 2004. There was also another testy back and forth between the Judge and attorney McMonagle over the latter’s latest unsuccessful attempt to get a mistrial declared. The Judge declined that move by the defense but even after bringing the jury back to deliberate on a Saturday could not get a verdict.

In the days and weeks to come, whether those questions proved to be the stumbling blocks that the jury could not get over will be analyzed over and over. However, sitting in that courtroom during the trial, it was clear that what Constand did, how she did it, and how many lawyers she spoke to was the defense’s primary tactic. It is also clear that the impact of those tactics on the jurors was at least enough to raise the specter of reasonable doubt, put them at a impasse and ultimately cause a mistrial. </s> Disgraced US megastar Bill Cosby will stand trial June 5, 2017 for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at his Philadelphia home more than a decade ago, a judge ruled Tuesday.

The pioneering black comedian faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He had returned to court on Tuesday in Pennsylvania as part of multiple attempts to avoid standing trial for the alleged 2004 assault.

But Judge Steven O’Neill set the June trial date regardless, and said proceedings could begin earlier if schedules permit.

Up to 13 other women may testify at the trial if Montgomery County prosecutor Kevin Steele gets his way, although Cosby’s legal team will likely put up fierce resistance to any such attempt.

Dressed in a pinstripe jacket and gray pants, Cosby had appeared animated and engaged in conversation with his lawyers before Tuesday’s hearing at Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, northwest of Philadelphia.

Cosby allegedly plied Andrea Constand with pills and wine, then sat her down on a couch, where the actor allegedly assaulted her in 2004. Constand, who worked for the Temple University basketball team, now lives in Canada.

Going to trial cements a brutal fall from grace for the once treasured father figure, apparent model citizen and award-winning comedian who smashed through racial barriers and delighted audiences with his gentle, self-deprecating humor.

Cosby’s legal team said Tuesday their client was “not giving up the fight for his rights” and accused a lawyer representing other alleged sexual assault victims of waging a campaign built “on racial bias and prejudice.”

“When the media repeats her accusations — with no evidence, no trial and no jury — we are moved backwards as a country and away from the America that our civil rights leaders sacrificed so much to create,” they said.

More than 50 women have publicly painted Cosby as a serial sexual predator who plied victims with sedatives and alcohol to have sex and make them unable to resist his advances over four decades.

Those allegations have seen celebrity pals and millions more malign the legend who attained his greatest fame for his role as a lovable obstetrician and family man in the hit 1980s television sitcom “The Cosby Show.”

The vast majority of the alleged abuses happened too long ago to prosecute, making the Constand case the only criminal charge brought against Cosby.

The former star posted bail at $1 million in the case last December, but has yet to enter a plea.

If he pleads guilty, he could avoid the enormous publicity that will come with one of America’s most famous entertainers going on trial.

Cosby has become a pariah since an avalanche of women accused him of feeding them pills and having sex with them. In the Constand case, Cosby has admitted giving her a pill but accuses her of lying about the assault.

The case was initially settled by a civil suit in 2006 but prosecutors reopened it by saying that new evidence came to light in July.

Cosby’s most famous role was as Cliff Huxtable, the affable father of an upper middle class black family in New York, in “The Cosby Show” from 1984 to 1992.

It was one of the most popular TV series of all time and jettisoned the actor into a life of fame and millions, following a humble childhood during which he was raised by a maid and a US Navy cook.

Cosby served in the Navy himself and won an athletic scholarship to Temple, before moving into standup comedy. In addition to television, he wrote books and appeared in movies.

His wife Camille has stood by his side. The couple have five children. Their son Ennis was shot dead in 1997 while changing a flat tire in California. </s> Disgraced US megastar Bill Cosby is due to stand trial for sexual assault on June 5, 2017 in what could see up to 13 other alleged victims testify against the award-winning comedian turned pariah.

Judge Steven O’Neill set the date after the 79-year-old pioneering black comedian made multiple attempts to head off the possibility of a trial stemming from one alleged incident at his Philadelphia home in 2004.

But O’Neill advised lawyers that the trial could start even earlier if schedules permit. He also said that given the defence assertion that Cosby is blind, the defendant may require special assistance in court.

Andrea Constand, who worked for the Temple University basketball team at the time, alleges that Cosby plied her with pills and wine, then sat her down on a couch at his Philadelphia home where he assaulted her.

Cosby says he gave her a pill, but insists their relations with consensual. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine if convicted.

Dressed in a pinstripe jacket and gray pants, Cosby had appeared animated and engaged in conversation with his lawyers before Tuesday’s hearing at Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, northwest of Philadelphia.

But the prospective trial cements a brutal fall from grace for the once treasured father figure and apparent model citizen who smashed through racial barriers and delighted audiences with his gentle, self-deprecating humor.

In recent years, more than 50 women have publicly accused him of being a sexual predator spanning four decades, making remarkably similar allegations that he fed them sedatives and alcohol that made them unable to resist his advances.

The vast majority of the alleged abuses happened too long ago to prosecute, making the Constand case the only criminal charge brought against Cosby.

Montgomery County prosecutor Kevin Steele told the court that he wants up to 13 other alleged victims to testify at trial. The judge has yet to agree and Cosby‘s legal team will likely put up fierce resistance.

The defense vowed their client would continue “the fight for his rights” and accused a lawyer representing other alleged sexual assault victims of waging a campaign built “on racial bias and prejudice.”

“When the media repeats her accusations — with no evidence, no trial and no jury — we are moved backwards as a country and away from the America that our civil rights leaders sacrificed so much to create,” they said.

Those allegations have seen celebrity pals and millions more malign the legend who attained his greatest fame for his role as a lovable obstetrician and family man in the hit 1980s television sitcom “The Cosby Show.”

The Constand case was initially settled by a civil suit in 2006 but prosecutors reopened claiming that new evidence had come to light.

The former star posted bail at $1 million in the case last December, but has yet to enter a plea.

If he pleads guilty, Cosby could avoid the enormous publicity that will come with one of America’s most famous entertainers going on trial.

In her original deposition in January 2005, Constand said Cosby plied her with pills and wine, then sat her down on a couch, where the actor allegedly fondled her breasts, put his fingers in her vagina and put her hand on his erect penis.

Cosby‘s legal team mock Constand’s credibility, saying she chopped and changed her evidence, and omitted from the final version lying down on a bed next to the actor and later visiting his home for dinner.

Constand, who now lives in Canada, has yet to appear at any public hearing.

Cosby‘s most famous role was as Cliff Huxtable, the affable father of an upper middle class black family in New York, in “The Cosby Show” from 1984 to 1992.

It was one of the most popular TV series of all time and jettisoned the actor into a life of fame and millions, following a humble childhood during which he was raised by a maid and a US Navy cook.

Cosby served in the Navy himself and won an athletic scholarship to Temple, before moving into comedy. In addition to television, he wrote books and appeared in movies.

His wife Camille has stood by his side. The couple have five children. Their son Ennis was shot dead in 1997 while changing a flat tire in California. </s> After the jury reached a deadlock decision after deliberating for 52 straight hours, Montgomery County Judge Steven O'Neill asked the jurors to resume the deliberation for Bill Cosby's sexual assault trial on Saturday morning to finally reach a verdict.

Reuters / Lucas JacksonActor-comedian Bill Cosby on his way to the deliberation of his sexual assault case at the Montgomery County Courthouse

On Friday, O'Neill stated that he will allow the jury to take as much time as they want to carefully look through all the facts of the case to be able to resolve the deadlock that resulted during the deliberation last Thursday, June 15.

According to reports, the judge could possibly declare a mistrial and a hung jury if the jurors are not able to break the deadlock. If that happens, the prosecutors will have four months to evaluate if they still want to file another case against the 79-year-old comedian or drop the charges completely.

During the deliberation on Friday, June 16, the jurors reportedly asked the judge if they can get a clear definition of "reasonable doubt." They also want to hear Cosby's testimony where he talked about giving Quaalude pills to women who will have sex with him back in the 1970s, as well as the testimony of Gianna Constand, the mother of complainant Andrea Constand, where he reportedly talked about his sexual encounter with her daughter in a phone call in 2005. The comedian reportedly called himself a "sick man" and apologized during their conversation.

The jury also wants to look into Andrea Constand's testimony regarding the phone records proving that she and Cosby were still talking after the reported assault, as well as the testimony of her brother-in-law who works as a police officer.

This means the jurors will have to go back to the past evidence in order to finally make a decision regarding the verdict on Cosby's case.

The deliberation will resume on Saturday, July 17, at 9 a.m. EDT. </s> Prosecutors said on Tuesday they intend to call more than a dozen accusers as witnesses against comedian Bill Cosby at his sexual assault trial.

During a hearing on Tuesday, Court of Common Pleas Judge Steven O'Neill in Norristown tentatively scheduled Cosby's trial for June 5, 2017, giving both sides months to pursue what will likely be a fiercely fought series of legal battles over the scope of evidence allowed at trial.

The Montgomery County District Attorney's office asked O'Neill's permission to introduce the testimony of 13 women who claim the 78-year-old entertainer assaulted them.

The names of the women were not disclosed in court filings on Tuesday.

Cosby is charged with drugging and assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004 at his Pennsylvania home.

Approximately 60 women have accused Cosby of attacking them over several decades, though the Constand case is the only one to result in a criminal prosecution thus far.

The former star of the 1980s TV series The Cosby Show, who built a long career on family-friendly comedy, has denied assaulting anyone and has portrayed his sexual relationships with the women, including Constand, as consensual.

In general, a defendant's prior bad acts are not admissible as evidence that he or she committed a particular crime.

Prosecutors, however, are sometimes allowed to use evidence or witnesses to prove a defendant committed a crime as part of along standing pattern of behavior.

Numerous women have accused Cosby of strikingly similar sexual assaults, claiming that he plied them with alcohol and drugs before taking advantage of their altered mental state.

Judges typically weigh the value of such evidence against the possibility that it will unfairly prejudice a jury.

Cosby's lawyers, meanwhile, have made their own motions seeking to limit the evidence. They have asked O'Neill to bar the district attorney's office from introducing a telephone conversation between Cosby and Constand's mother that was secretly recorded, as well as a deposition from Constand's civil lawsuit against Cosby in which the comedian admitted giving Quaaludes to women before sexual encounters.

In addition, Brian McMonagle, the lead defense lawyer, said on Tuesday he planned to request that the trial be movedelsewhere. He suggested the pool of potential jurors in Montgomery County had been tainted because the Constand case became a major campaign issue when District Attorney KevinSteele ran for office last year.

Cosby, who is free on $1 million bail, could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
The trial against comedian Bill Cosby at the Montgomery County Courthouse ends with a hung jury and the consequent declaration of a mistrial.