Jury of 12 on Bill Cosby sex assault case includes 2 blacks

PITTSBURGH -- The jury that will hear the sex-assault case against Bill Cosby will include two black members among its 12 in a case Cosby believes could be racially motivated.

Prosecutors and the defense team Wednesday also chose six alternate jurors, two of them black.

Cosby's lawyers had complained this week prosecutors were trying to keep black members off the jury with their seven strikes. The judge, though, found prosecutors had other valid reasons to strike two black women earlier this week. The jury makeup of 17 percent is higher than the 13 percent black population in Allegheny County.

Meanwhile, Judge Steven T. O'Neill removed a white male juror chosen Monday for undisclosed personal reasons. Lawyers chose a white woman to replace him.

Cosby, the 79-year-old black actor-comedian once known as America's Dad for his beloved portrayal of Dr. Cliff Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," is charged with drugging and molesting a Temple University women's basketball team manager at his home near Philadelphia in 2004. He has called the encounter consensual.

Dozens of other women have made similar accusations against Cosby, 79, but the judge is allowing only one to testify. The jury from Pittsburgh will be sequestered nearly 300 miles from home.

Half of the jury pool being questioned Wednesday said they've formed an opinion on his guilt or innocence, while one person knows Cosby or his family. They aren't necessarily disqualified if they can persuade the judge they can put that aside and focus on the evidence.

One-third said they were more likely to believe police testimony, nearly one-fourth had been convicted of a crime, and nearly one-fifth said someone close to them had been sexually assaulted.

The defense raised concerns about the racial makeup of the jury Tuesday when only one black juror was seated among the first 11. The initial pool had 16 black people among 100 people.

Six were dismissed, however, based on their initial questionnaires. Others were sent home after being questioned about various problems or conflicts. Several had relatives who were crime victims, one had an ill spouse, and one man said he had no one to watch his dog.

Cosby last week said race could be a motivating factor in accusations against him.

The 48-question juror survey asks whether the potential jurors have an opinion about Cosby's guilt but not whether they were fans of his comedy routines, top-ranked TV shows or family-values speeches.

The jurors selected this week included a black woman who said she knew only "basic information" about the case, a white man who initially expressed a tendency to believe police and two people who said they don't read or watch the news.

The trial will take place in Montgomery County, where Cosby had invited Andrea Constand to his home in 2004. Constand said she went seeking career advice. She said Cosby gave her wine and pills that put her in a stupor before molesting her on his couch.

Constand was 30 and dating a woman at the time, while Cosby was 66 and long married to wife Camille. Cosby in sworn testimony has said he put his hand down Constand's pants, but she did not protest.

Cosby has said he does not expect to testify.

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are the victims of sexual assault unless they come forward, as Constand has done.

Cosby was arrested Dec. 30, 2015, days before the 12-year statute of limitations expired. He has pleaded not guilty and remains free on $1 million bail.