PHILADELPHIA — The jury that convicted Bill Cosby at his sexual assault retrial said that its decision was only influenced by what happened in court, and the youngest member of the panel said that the comedian’s own words sealed his fate. Harrison Snyder said in an interview aired Monday on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that it “wasn’t an open and shut case.” But the 22-year-old says Cosby’s deposition – in which he admitted giving women drugs to have sex with them – was the evidence that made him believe he was guilty.
“I think it was his deposition, really. Mr. Cosby admitted to giving these Quaaludes to women, young women, in order to have sex with them,” Snyder said of a deposition that was part of a civil case brought by accuser Andrea Constand.
Snyder said that he had no doubt the jury made the right decision in convicting Cosby Thursday on three counts of aggravated indecent assault.
Cosby, 80, is now a prisoner in his own suburban Philadelphia home and faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life behind bars as he awaits sentencing within the next three months on three counts of aggravated indecent assault. He has maintained his innocence. His publicist has declared his conviction a “public lynching,” and his lawyers have vowed to appeal.
NBC’s “Today” show said Monday the Cosby jury issued a statement saying its decision was not influenced in any way by factors other than what was seen and heard in the courtroom. They said race and the #MeToo movement were never discussed.
“After thoughtful and meticulous consideration of the information and evidence provided to us, we came to our unanimous verdict,” the jury said in the statement. “Not once were race or the #metoo movement ever discussed, nor did either factor into our decision, as implied in various media outlets.”
Snyder said he didn’t know much about the 80-year-old comedian before the trial and knew nothing of the allegations.
“I really didn’t know a lot (about Cosby). I knew he was an actor, I knew he did the ‘Cosby Show.’ I never watched the ‘Cosby Show,’ I’m a little too young for that,” Snyder said.
Days after Cosby was found guilty, the New York Post’s Page Six revealed an intimate look at his reaction to the decision. “This is what they wanted,” Cosby said.
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