Bill Cosby Jury Member Says Guilty Verdict Based On Comedian’s Own Words
A juror in the Bill Cosby trial revealed on Good Morning America that the comedian-actor’s deposition led to his ultimate conviction.
According to Juror Number 1, Harrison Snyder, 22, hearing Cosby recount in his own words in a 2005 deposition that he admitted to giving quaaludes (now banned) to young women caused the guilty verdict. In the same testimony, The Cosby Show actor also revealed he repeatedly used his position of power to have sex with young women he met, per ABC News.
In fact, hearing the actor’s own words ended up being even stronger evidence for conviction than the testimonies of the women who testified that Cosby assaulted them.
Interestingly, the 22-year-old juror is too young to have watched The Cosby Show like many in the U.S. remember. He also said that he didn’t even know much about the octogenarian who rose to fame in the 1960s, aside from the fact Cosby acted and starred in a show he has never watched.
Ultimately, the jury found the once beloved comedian guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault. Snyder believes the jury reached the correct verdict, and that it wasn’t swayed by the growing Me Too movement, according to a USA Today report. A statement from other jury members also lines up with what Snyder said on the popular morning show.
.@ABC EXCLUSIVE: Inside the Cosby deliberations.
Harrison Snyder, a juror in the trial, speaks out to our @LinseyDavis after last week's verdict: https://t.co/MhqQqcHz0s pic.twitter.com/E6OGrvJ95C— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 30, 2018
In addition to remaining uninfluenced by the Me Too movement, Snyder also feels that the jury didn’t allow race, age, or gender to affect the outcome of the trial.
The jury, which consisted of seven men and five women, reached the guilty verdict in the Cosby retrial after 12 hours of deliberation. While some people refuse to believe the man once considered “America’s Dad” is guilty of such heinous crimes, Snyder thinks the jury got its verdict right.
Although the jury found the actor guilty of three charges, Cosby’s lawyers admit he plans to appeal the verdict, which could result in more trial time and additional testimony depending on how things go.
If the conviction stands, Cosby faces a maximum of 30 years in prison, which would likely mean he’d spend the rest of his days locked up in a cell.
