CNN
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Former film producer Harvey Weinstein was found guilty Monday of three of seven charges, including rape, in a sexual assault trial in Los Angeles.
He could be sentenced to 24 years in prison, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office.
A jury found Weinstein not guilty of one count of captive sexual assault against another woman. They hanged jurors on one count of sexual assault by restraint, one count of forced oral copulation, and one count of rape involving two other women. jennifer siebel newsoma filmmaker and original partner of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The three charges against which he was convicted – rape, penetration with a foreign object and forced oral copulation – all testified that the movie mogul assaulted her in a Beverly Hills hotel room in February 2013. was tied to one of his accusers, who is a model and actress.
The woman identified in court as Jane Doe was the first person to testify at the trial.
“That night in 2013, Harvey Weinstein destroyed a part of me forever. I will never take it back. The criminal trial was brutal. But I knew I had to see this through to the end, and I hope I never see Harvey Weinstein outside a prison cell while he’s still alive.
Weinstein had pleaded not guilty to all seven indictments against him.
Weinstein spokesman Judah Engelmeyer said in a statement: “Harvey is clearly disappointed, but this particular accuser has sufficient grounds to appeal based on the time and place of the alleged events. “He is grateful that the jury has taken the time to consider other charges, and he is prepared to continue fighting for his innocence.” increase.”
The verdict was handed down as the jury entered its third week of deliberations, meeting for a total of 41 hours over 10 days.
Attorney Elizabeth Fegan, who represented Siebel Newsom, identified as Jane Doe4 in court, was disappointed that the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the charges related to her client. He said that
“My client Jane Doe4 shared her story not in the hope of testifying, but in support of all the survivors who bravely came forward. While we are encouraged to convict Weinstein on the count of 1, we are disappointed that the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on Jane Doe 4. We are disappointed that the victim has been served in the name of justice. I allow myself to be humiliated and traumatized again,” Fegan said in a statement to CNN.
A jury in Los Angeles deliberated longer than a jury in New York in the first criminal trial in which Weinstein was convicted in 2020. Criminal sexual activity and 3rd degree rape after 26 hours of deliberation.
Weinstein is already serving 23 years in prison for that conviction. His lawyers appealed, and attention was focused on the outcome of the trial in Los Angeles.
A jury will return to court on Tuesday to consider aggravating factors to help determine the outcome of Weinstein’s sentencing hearing, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The weeks-long trial in Los Angeles involved models, dancers, massage therapists, siebel newsom – All were asked to detail the details of the allegations against him, provide details of when they met with the producer years ago, and describe their reactions to the alleged assault.
Weinstein initially faced 11 indictments, but four indictments involving unnamed women were dropped without explanation. she did not testify in court.
Jane Doe2, identified as Lauren Young, called her attorney, Gloria Allred, saying Weinstein was convicted on several counts despite a miscarriage of justice on her count. Allred said at a press conference after the verdict.
In a statement read by Allred, Young said, “Harvey Weinstein should be punished for the crimes he committed and will continue to use his power to blackmail and sexually assault women. I can’t do that, so I’m relieved to have been found guilty.”
of closing argumentLos Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Marlene Martinez, called Weinstein a “giant” in Hollywood who used his powers to prey on and silence women.
“Rapists rape. You can see patterns,” fellow prosecutor Paul Thompson told jurors.
“You have irrefutable, overwhelming evidence of the nature of this man and what he did to these women,” Thompson said.
Weinstein’s lawyers, meanwhile, argued the allegations were fabricated or consensual as part of a “business relationship” with the filmmakers, and reiterated that there was no evidence of assault. rice field.
Defense attorney Alan Jackson called the accuser a “fame and fortune seeker.”
The trial in Los Angeles included testimony from four accusers identified in court as Jane Douz, as well as other witnesses, including experts, law enforcement, friends of the accusers and a former aide to Weinstein. It was
moreover, four women They testified that they were subjected to similar acts by Weinstein in other jurisdictions.
Each morning at the trial, Weinstein was taken out of the correctional facility, donned a suit and tie, and drove to the Los Angeles courtroom with his writing notebook.
His accusers all began their testimony, often emotional, by identifying him as they watched him in court.
“He’s wearing a suit, a blue tie, and he’s staring at me,” Siebel Newsom said last month before one of the most emotional moments of the trial. Stein testified that he raped her in a hotel room in 2005.
During the trial, defense attorney Jackson asked jurors “can we take what[Jane’s actions]say as gospel,” arguing there was a lack of forensic evidence to support their claims. .
“Five words that sum up the prosecution’s entire case: ‘Take my word for it,'” Jackson said. “Take my word that he showed up in my hotel room without notice. Take my word for it, take my word for it, I said no.
Siebel Newsom described an hours-long “cat-and-mouse period” prior to her alleged assault. She, like other accusers, said she felt “frozen” that day.
Weinstein’s attorneys have not denied the incident happened, but believe it was consensual.
Jackson called the case “consensual transactional sex” and said, “Remorse is not the same as rape. And it’s important to make that distinction in this court.”
In his closing arguments, Martinez highlighted women who testified despite knowing they would face tough situations in court.
“The truth is that you know the despicable actions the defendant has committed because you are sitting here. “It’s just that Herbie is Herbie. That’s what Hollywood is. And everyone has been doing it for a long time. Everyone just turned their heads.”