(Photo : Etienne Laurent-Pool/Getty Images)
The prosecution sought to end the "reign of terror" of Harvey Weinstein by putting the former film producer in jail.
Almost three years following his conviction in a landmark sex crimes trial in New York City, film mogul Harvey Weinstein was found guilty on Monday of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault but was cleared of a charge of sexual violence.
Three additional accusations against Weinstein were not decided by the jury of four women and eight men during the trial that took place in Los Angeles. They spent nine days discussing it, according to NBC News.
The 70-year-old Harvey Weinstein has denied all claims of Harvey Weinstein Sex Crimes with minors in both trials, in which he has pleaded not guilty. After being found guilty of third-degree rape and first-degree criminal sexual conduct in February 2020, he was given a 23-year term of imprisonment in New York.
He declined the opportunity to testify throughout both trials for Harvey Weinstein Sex Crimes.
The four women testifying as "Jane Does" in the Los Angeles trial brought the accusations against the defendants.
Forceful rape, forcible oral copulation, and sexual penetration by a foreign object were the three charges on which the jury found the former film producer guilty in connection with the complainant, known only as Jane Doe 1.
Irreparable Damages
In a statement, Jane Doe 1 said that a part of her was shattered by Harvey Weinstein that night in 2013-- something that she can never recover.
"Weinstein's lawyers put me through hell on the witness stand. But I knew I had to see this through to the end, and I did," she noted.
A jury acquitted Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse by force committed against Jane Doe 2. All three sexual assault cases involving Jane Does 3 and 4 were dismissed without a verdict.
The attorneys for Jane Doe 4 have revealed to NBC News that she is documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom. She was one of 44 prosecution witnesses who gave testimony, sobbing as she recalled the night Weinstein raped her in a room in a Beverly Hills hotel.
On Monday, per Al Jazeera, a jury found Harvey Weinstein not guilty of sexual abuse allegations brought by a massage therapist who had treated him at a hotel in 2010.
Ending Weinstein's Reign of Terror
Seibel Newsom further said that Harvey Weinstein will never again be allowed to abuse a woman, as he will be brought to prison, where he belongs.
The wife of Gavin Newsom also noted that Weinstein's legal team utilized sexism, misogyny, and intimidation throughout the Harvey Weinstein Sex Crimes trial to silence and humiliate the victims.
"The trial was a stark reminder that we as a society have work to do," Seibel Newsom remarked.
In its last statement, the prosecution called Weinstein a "predator" and asked the jury to stop his "terror."
According to Variety, Harvey Weinstein's lawyers argued that the accusers only had "transactional" connections with the producer due to his high status in the film business. They "played the game," Alan Jackson, Weinstein's defense counsel, claimed.
Over the last five years, more than one hundred women have spoken out publicly about their experiences with sexual harassment, assault, or rape at the hands of Harvey Weinstein.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon released a statement in which he expressed "disappointment" at the jury's verdict being divided into several charges. He expressed appreciation to the witnesses who had come out and participated in the cross-examination process.
Gascon expressed amazement at the victims' boldness. "They deserve better than what the system has given them."
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