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Jurors enter second day of deliberations in Bill Cosby trial

By Andrew V. Pestano
Bill Cosby (C) arrives at Montgomery County Courthouse on Tuesday for Day 2 of deliberations in his sexual assault trial in Norristown Pa. Deliberations began in Cosby's trial on charges of aggravated indecent assault on Monday night after prosecutors and defense attorneys made their final pleas to the jury. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
1 of 2 | Bill Cosby (C) arrives at Montgomery County Courthouse on Tuesday for Day 2 of deliberations in his sexual assault trial in Norristown Pa. Deliberations began in Cosby's trial on charges of aggravated indecent assault on Monday night after prosecutors and defense attorneys made their final pleas to the jury. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

June 13 (UPI) -- The sequestered jurors in Bill Cosby's sexual assault trial entered their second day of deliberations Tuesday to decide whether the entertainer is guilty of drugging and abusing his accuser, Andrea Constand.

The twelve jurors -- seven men and five women from the Pittsburgh area -- deliberated for 4 hours on Monday and did not come up with a verdict. The jurors will reconvene Tuesday morning to decide if Cosby is guilty of three counts of of aggravated indecent assault.

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Cosby faces charges that he drugged and assaulted Constand, a former Temple University employee, at his Philadelphia home in 2004. Constand was the women's basketball team manager at Cosby's alma mater.

Cosby's defense team argued that Constand and prosecutors are misrepresenting what occurred that day and that the sexual activity was consensual, which Constand and prosecutors reject.

Brian McMonagle, one of Cosby's lawyers, told the jury that Cosby, who was married, and Constand were lovers who enjoyed secret "romantic interludes," which McMonagle characterized as consensual adultery but not a crime.

McMonagle suggested to jurors that Cosby was the victim of accusations by women who wanted to appear on television shows.

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"You know why we're here," McMonagle said, gesturing to two Cosby accusers in the trial audience. "Let's be real."

Prosecutors suggested Cosby's own admission about groping Constant after giving her pills he knew would make her fall asleep should be enough to declare him guilty.

"All the fancy lawyering you have can't get you around your own words," District Attorney Kevin Steele said. "Drugging somebody and putting them in a position where you can do what you want with them is not romantic. It's criminal."

Depositions regarding the 2004 incident were unsealed in 2015, which prompted more accusers to step forward. More than 50 women have come forward to accuse the former Cosby Show actor of drugging and sexually assaulting them. Some came forward after the statute of limitations expired for their cases.

Jurors heard the deposition.

"I have three friends for you to make you relax," Cosby said he told Constand during the 2004 incident, according to a transcript of the deposition.

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