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Harvey Weinstein’s LA trial on rape charges continued Tuesday with eyewitness testimony.
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One of Weinstein’s accusers has recounted harrowing details about her February 2013 assault allegations.
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After stating in court that he feared he had killed himself, Weinstein responded by shaking his head.
Harvey Weinstein visibly reacted in court on Tuesday.
Los Angeles trial on rape charges against infamous mogul Monday continued with the opening discussion and witness testimony. Los Angeles County prosecutors have accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in 11 counts, stemming from allegations by five different women that she abused Weinstein at a hotel in Los Angeles between 2004 and 2013. was indicted.
Weinstein no more serving a 23-year sentence in a New York prison Following an East Coast trial, he faces additional life in prison heading into West Coast proceedings. He denies the charges and claims innocence.
All five women are expected to testify against Weinstein in a trial that supposedly spanned weeks. Several of Weinstein’s female accusers have used pseudonyms in court.
The first woman, identified as Jane Doe 1, took the stand and continued to testify Tuesday morning after breaking down in court Monday afternoon. She started the day by apologizing for her emotional outburst, telling the court she “can’t control this.”
Actress Jane Doe, who lived in Italy, accused Weinstein of raping her in her hotel room during the Los Angeles Italian Film Festival in February 2013. She told jurors on Monday that he showed up unannounced at her hotel room late at night and she forced herself inside.
She wasn’t scared at first, but when he started talking about massage, she became scared.
Jane Doe 1 testified disturbing details about the assault, saying Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex and raped her in the bathroom. She said he was frightened, disgusted and panicked when she tried to fend him off, but he was unable to avoid or fight back the assault because of his large size. she thought.
She said in court that she considered trying to escape or even hit Weinstein with a lamp, but froze with fear.
“I regret this so much,” Jane Doe 1 testified, saying her body felt frozen. I was afraid you might kill me.”
In court at this moment, Weinstein shook his head and sighed in response to her testimony.
Jane Doe 1 apparently stopped several times to take a deep breath and try to stay calm during her graphic testimony.
“I wanted to die,” she said, reflecting on the experience. “It was humiliating and miserable. I didn’t fight. I just remember him looking in the mirror and telling me to look at him. I wish this hadn’t happened to me.”
“I wasn’t in my head,” she added. “I was praying.”
After the assault, Jane Doe said Weinstein washed himself with a towel and acted like nothing had happened. He complimented her girlfriend and then warned her not to say anything to anyone of her, she testified.
“I felt so guilty — and I still feel — so guilty,” she said. “humiliating”
Jane Doe 1 didn’t go to the police until October 2017 after being inspired by her 16-year-old daughter’s experience of sexual harassment, she said. She said she was terrified when prosecutors asked why she waited so long to report.
“It’s hard to live with this guilt. I thought he must be a bad person to do this to me,” she testified. I was afraid of my reputation.”
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