NEW YORK _ Dour defendant Harvey Weinstein sat sullenly at the defense table Tuesday as a Manhattan jury wrapped up its first day of work with no verdict in the Oscar winner's trial on rape and sexual abuse charges.
The 67-year-old flashed nary a smile once the Manhattan Supreme Court jurors began considering the case that could land him behinds bars for life. He appeared wobbly by day's end, nearly falling on his lead counsel Donna Rotunno while taking a seat at the defense table before the jury was sent home at about 4:40 p.m.
The panel of seven men and five women began deliberating at 11:29 a.m. after hearing closing arguments last week and enjoying an extended Presidents Day weekend. The trial kicked off with opening statements on Jan. 22, with both sides coming to call nearly three dozen witnesses _ the majority by prosecutors.
Deliberations were set to resume Wednesday morning.
Barely an hour into their talks, the panel sent out a note with a number of questions _ including one related to prosecution witness Annabella Sciorra, asking why there were no stand-alone charges against Weinstein for the alleged rape of the Emmy-winning actress from "The Sopranos."
Supreme Court Justice James Burke told the jurors not to speculate on the reasons or the statute of limitations, but to focus on the charges in front of them.
The judge also confirmed that to find Weinstein guilty of the top count of predatory sexual assault, the jurors must believe accusers Miriam Haley and/or Jessica Mann in addition to Sciorra. The Brooklyn-born Sciorra, who also appeared in the films "Jungle Fever" and "Cop Land," provided a terrifying account of her alleged rape at the hands of Weinstein back in 1993-94.
She was called, along with three other female prosecution witnesses, to show a pattern of predatory behavior by Weinstein.
Burke put the case in the jury's hands after giving them final legal directions in a #MeToo prosecution that drew international attention and a daily media horde to the 15th-floor Manhattan courtroom.
The defense opted not to put Weinstein on the stand, although the once high-flying Hollywood executive insisted outside court that he wanted to testify under oath.
The defendant faces a possible life sentence if convicted on the top charge in a five-count case: Predatory sexual assault. He was also charged with criminal sexual assault and rape for alleged attacks on production assistant Haley and aspiring actress Mann.
If convicted of those lesser charges, the jury can then find Weinstein guilty of the higher charge.
Both accusers took the stand against Weinstein, testifying in detail about their unwanted sexual encounters with the hulking Hollywood producer behind hits such as "Shakespeare in Love," "Pulp Fiction" and "The English Patient."
