Verdict reached in Harvey Weinstein’s second rape trial

0
40

LOS ANGELES – The jury returned a verdict Monday in the Los Angeles rape and sexual assault trial Harvey Weinstein.

Weinstein and attorneys for both sides enter the courtroom where the verdict will be read.

The jury received the case on December 2 and deliberated for nine days over a period of more than two weeks. After a month-long trial, they were faced with rulings on two rape cases and five other sexual assault cases against the 70-year-old former film mogul.

The allegations involved four women and dated from 2005 to 2013.

If convicted on all charges, Weinstein could face up to 60 years in prison for life.

Whatever the outcome, he will not roam free. He still has more than 20 years in prison in New York after being convicted there of rape and sexual assault.

Prosecutors urged juries to believe the reports of the four women, each of whom gave Dramatic and emotional testimony about the allegations.

Weinstein’s attorneys stressed the lack of physical evidence in the case and asked the jury to put aside the emotional impact of the testimony to focus on the changes some women’s stories had undergone in their conversations with authorities.

Weinstein pleaded not guilty and denied engaging in non-consensual sex.

The trial came just after the fifth anniversary of the blockbuster stories about Weinstein that made him a lightning rod for the #MeToo movement.

___

Follow AP Entertainment writer Andrew Dalton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton

___

For more information on Harvey Weinstein’s trial, see: https://apnews.com/hub/harvey-weinstein

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, transcribed or redistributed without permission.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here