Jury deliberations in the sex-trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell will resume on Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan.
The trial commenced in earnest on 29 November. Maxwell, who turned 60 on Christmas Day, faces six counts relating to alleged involvement in her ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of girls, some as young as 14.
Maxwell pleaded not guilty.
Epstein, a financier and convicted sex offender with high-profile associates including Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, was arrested in July 2019 for sex trafficking minor teens. He killed himself in a New York City federal jail about a month after his arrest, while awaiting trial.
Jurors started deliberating late on 20 December. They did not attend court on 23 or 24 December, due to the Christmas holiday.
They have asked to see testimony from Maxwell’s accusers and several witnesses who appeared to corroborate their accounts.
On Monday, jurors requested to see a transcript of testimony from Matt, the ex-boyfriend of Jane, the first Maxwell accuser to testify.
Shortly after requesting Matt’s testimony, jurors asked to see a transcript of testimony by a former Palm Beach police officer, Gregory Parkinson.
In October 2005, Parkinson led a search of Epstein’s property in the Florida resort.
In testimony, he talked jurors through a video of the search and responded to questions about still images that appeared on screen. After Parkinson noted the presence of a “portable, collapsible massage table”, a detective brought a massage table into the courtroom.
Parkinson got down from the witness stand and, with gloved hands, examined the table. Prosecutors asked him to describe what he saw.
“The table itself in an open position,” Parkinson said.
Jurors also requested to see the transcript of testimony from David Rodgers, one of Epstein’s pilots.
Before Nathan dismissed jurors, around 5pm, she told them that if they didn’t reach a verdict on Tuesday, they should be prepared to stay later going forward.
“I don’t mean to pressure you in any way,” the judge said. “You should take all the time that you need.”
Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 802 9999. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html.
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