Jury selection begins in Bill Cosby sex assault trial

Finding impartial jurors to serve on Bill Cosby’s sexual assault trial might be hard. About one-third of the 100 potential jurors questioned so far today say they’ve already formed an opinion about the comedian’s guilt or innocence, while two-thirds say serving on the jury would be difficult. One-third of the jury pool also said they had a family member or close friend victimized by sexual assault. Cosby, 79, is going on trial in Pittsburgh to face charges of drugging and molesting a former Temple University basketball manager in 2004. Cosby claims the encounter was consensual. The district attorney declined to press charges in 2005, and Cosby settled a civil claim filed by his accuser. New prosecutors re-opened the case in 2015 after reading a deposition from the civil case, in which Cosby admitted to a long list of sexual liaisons that involved either pills or alcohol. Dozens of women have come forward to say he abused them. Cosby pleaded not guilty. Attorneys hope to select 12 jurors and six alternates by the end of the week.

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