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The Latest: 1st juror seated at Bill Cosby retrial

Actor and comedian Bill Cosby, right, arrives, with his spokesperson Andrew Wyatt, for jury selection for his sexual assault retrial at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., Monday, April 2, 2018. (Brendan McDermid/Pool Photo via AP)
Original Publication Date April 02, 2018 - 5:41 AM

NORRISTOWN, Pa. - The Latest on jury selection in Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial (all times local):

4:30 p.m.

The first juror has been seated in Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial.

The man picked Monday indicated he had no knowledge of the case and wouldn't let what he's heard about the #MeToo movement influence his ability to be impartial.

Cosby is charged with drugging and sexually molesting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. He says the sexual encounter was consensual. His first trial ended in a hung jury.

Jury selection got underway Monday, with all but one potential juror telling a judge they've heard or seen something about the #MeToo campaign exposing sexual misconduct in the news and entertainment industries.

Prosecutors and the defence agreed to strike 89 potential jurors out of an initial pool of 120.

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2 p.m.

More than half of the 120 potential jurors being questioned in Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial say they've already formed an opinion about the comedian's guilt or innocence.

Cosby is charged with drugging and sexually molesting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. He says the sexual encounter was consensual. His first trial ended in a hung jury.

Jury selection for the retrial got underway Monday, with all but 10 potential jurors indicating they have knowledge about the case.

All but one potential juror say they've heard or seen something about the #MeToo movement exposing sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry.

The judge told jurors the trial will last about a month.

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11:55 a.m.

The judge in Bill Cosby's sex assault retrial has rejected a news media request to let two pool reporters into the courtroom where potential jurors are being questioned as a group.

Judge Steven O'Neill said Monday that Cosby's lawyers objected to the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association's request because they feared it could hurt their ability to find a fair and impartial jury.

Reporters are watching the proceedings on a closed-circuit feed from an adjacent courtroom. The camera shows the judge, prosecutors and defence lawyers, but not potential jurors.

O'Neill says individual questioning of potential jurors will take place directly in front of reporters.

Cosby is charged with drugging and molesting a former Temple University women's basketball official at his home in 2004. He has pleaded not guilty.

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11:35 a.m.

Prospective jurors in the Bill Cosby sexual assault retrial have gathered in a suburban Philadelphia courthouse for the first day of jury selection.

About 125 prospective jurors filled out a standard questionnaire ahead of time, answering questions about their background and their ability to be impartial. Prosecutors and the defence are going through the surveys as they begin whittling the jury pool down to the 12 who will decide his fate.

Cosby is charged with drugging and molesting a former Temple University women's basketball official at his home in 2004.

He has pleaded not guilty and says the sexual encounter was consensual.

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This item has been corrected to show that surveys were filled out ahead of time.

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8:30 a.m.

Comedian Bill Cosby has arrived for the first day of jury selection in his retrial on sexual assault charges.

Large snowflakes fell on Cosby as he walked into a suburban Philadelphia courthouse Monday.

The 80-year-old Cosby is charged with drugging and molesting a former Temple University athletics administrator at his home in 2004.

The judge last June declared a mistrial after more than 52 hours of jury deliberations over six days.

One juror said the panel was split 10-2 in favour of conviction, while another said the group was more evenly divided.

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12 a.m.

Jury selection is set to get underway in Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial in a cultural landscape changed by the #MeToo movement.

Experts say the movement against sexual misconduct that toppled a string of famous men could cut both ways for the comedian. They say it could make some potential jurors more hostile toward him and others more likely to think men are being unfairly accused.

The process of picking 12 jurors begins Monday in suburban Philadelphia.

The 80-year-old Cosby is charged with drugging and molesting a former Temple University athletics administrator at his home in 2004.

Last June, after more than 52 hours of jury deliberations over six days, the judge declared a mistrial. One juror said the panel was split 10-2 in favour of conviction, while another said the group was more evenly divided.

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The second item in this story has been corrected to say that jurors filled out a questionnaire ahead of time, not that they filled it out Monday.

News from © The Associated Press, 2018
The Associated Press

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