A US judge declared a mistrial Saturday in Bill Cosby's sexual assault case after the jury announced that they remained deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict against the fallen television star.
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It was a stunning development for the 79-year-old pioneering black entertainer who had risked spending the rest of his life in prison if convicted on drugging and molesting a woman at his home 13 years ago.
Around 60 women have publicly accused Cosby in recent years of being a serial sexual predator alleging that he drugged and assaulted them over a span of 40 years across the United States.
44-year-old Andrea Constand's alleged assault was the only criminal case brought against him as most of the alleged abuse happened too long ago to prosecute.
But if the man once adored by millions as "America's Dad" escaped conviction Saturday, prosecutor Kevin Steele said that he intended to seek a re-trial as authorized in such cases under the law.
The seven-man, five-woman panel had spent around 53 hours deliberating in Norristown, Pennsylvania, longer than the amount of time dedicated at the trial to testimony and legal arguments.
They first informed Judge Steven O'Neill on Thursday that they were deadlocked, but were instructed to return to their deliberation room and try harder, without being given a deadline or timeframe.
Less than 48 hours later, and working into the weekend on a Saturday -- the 11th day of the trial -- the panel informed the judge that they were still deadlocked on all three counts against Cosby.
Legal experts had always said the he-said, she-said nature of the case was going to be difficult to prove in court, not least because it happened so long ago and due to a lack of physical evidence.
The trial has irrevocably damaged his legacy as a towering figure in US popular culture, once adored for his seminal role as a lovable father and obstetrician on hit TV series "The Cosby Show."
While the prosecution spent five days, painstakingly trying to build their case, the defense called just one witness to the stand and rested their case in just a handful of minutes.
Cosby had faced a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail and a $25,000 fine on each of three counts of indecent aggravated assault.
The trial heaped disgrace on the award-winning actor who was lauded a hero by African Americans and revered by whites for smashing through racial barriers in a five-decade entertainment career.
