Cosby Prosecutor Fights Release Of Juror Names
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP/KDKA) — Prosecutors in Bill Cosby's sexual assault case are fighting to keep the jurors' identities a secret.
District Attorney Keven Steele asked a judge Monday to block the release of the names.
The jury deadlocked on charges that Cosby drugged and molested a woman in 2004, resulting in a mistrial for the 79-year-old TV star. It's unclear how many jurors voted for conviction and how many wanted an acquittal.
Prosecutors plan to retry Cosby. They say that releasing the names of the jurors could make it more difficult to select an impartial jury in the next trial.
Media outlets are urging a judge to make the names public.
Pennsylvania law allows the public release of jurors' identities, but judges have discretion to keep them a secret under certain conditions.
The District Attorney's office filed a memorandum of law Monday asking the judge to keep the jurors' names under seal so that no side will be prejudiced in the next trial.
No date has been set for when the attorneys will meet to pick a trial date and discuss jury selection. The judge wants the next trial to be held within the next four months.
There is no official word on whether the jury will be picked in Allegheny County again.
Meanwhile, an alternate juror in the case says he "probably" would have voted to convict.
Forty-three-year-old Mike McCloskey spoke to a Pittsburgh radio station on Monday. He says he was "ridiculously sick" when he found out the main jury couldn't reach a verdict in the case.
The trial took place outside Philadelphia, but the jury came from the Pittsburgh area. McCloskey says jurors did not discuss the case on the bus ride after the trial.
As an alternate, he heard all the testimony but didn't participate in deliberations.
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(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
