On the third day of the Weinstein trial, the prosecution's strategy follows the same lines as that of the second trial of Bill Cosby: to undermine work, accuser after accuser, to prepare the testimony of the two complainants accusing the producer of rape and d sexual assault. Prosecutors' aim is to prove that Harvey Weinstein was a "predator" who targeted and threatened these women. And risks, if convicted, spending the rest of his life behind bars.
The testimony of the previous day corroborated
On Thursday, actress Annabella Sciorra said she was "raped" by the producer in 1993. The alleged facts are time-barred, but the judge authorized her testimony, not to prove that the producer was likely to have repeat, but so that the jury can examine if he acted similarly, with the same state of mind.
Although she did not speak publicly about the rape until October 2017, Sciorra testified on Thursday that she spoke about it to a friend, the actress Rosie Perez ( Do The Right Thing ). Friday, the latter appeared as a witness and indicated that she spoke to Annabella Sciorra the night of her alleged assault.
At the request of the prosecutor, Rosie Perez pointed to Harvey Weinstein, seated with his lawyers. The ex-Hollywood tycoon waved to him. “Annabella said to me, 'I think something bad has happened. I think it was a rape, '' said the Oscar-nominated actress. A few months later, according to Rosie Perez, Annabella Sciorra revealed to him that Harvey Weinstein was the aggressor. "I told him, 'Please talk to the police.' But she said to me, "I can't, he will destroy me" ".
Annabella Sciorra and Rose McGowan on a "red list"
Harvey Weinstein wanted to gather information on women who could report him, a private detective told the stand. Sam Anson said he received an email from Harvey Weinstein in mid-August 2017, just under two months before the New York Times and New Yorker revelations were released.
The message contained a "red list" of people the former boss of the Miramax studio asked the private sector to investigate. He also called him to clarify his request.
"He said he was concerned about the preparation of articles about his sexual behavior in a negative way," said Sam Anson, who said he had not followed up on this request.
The list included, according to the investigator, the names of actresses Annabella Sciorra and Rose McGowan, who claim to have been raped by Harvey Weinstein.
Unraveling the "myths" of rape
Friday morning, the court heard another prosecution witness, psychiatrist Barbara Ziv, who testified at the trial of American TV star Bill Cosby, who was convicted of sexual assault. Manhattan prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon cited her to debunk "some myths" about sexual assault.
In particular, the expert pointed out that most of the sexual assaults were committed by an acquaintance of the victim and not by an unknown person and that it was wrong to think that the victims generally reported their assault to the police or to friends.
Defense attorneys cited multiple exchanges between Weinstein and the allegedly raped woman in 2013, Jessica Mann, who they claimed had had "a romantic relationship" after the alleged rape, implying that she could not to be raped. They also tried Thursday to undermine the credibility of Annabella Sciorra by stressing that she had killed her supposed rape for years and that she had continued to meet the producer, without confronting him. "It's the norm to stay in touch" with the attacker, said Barbara Ziv. "These contacts can range from SMS or emails to a continuing relationship."
During cross-examination, defense lawyer Damon Cheronis asked expert Ziv if it was possible that over the years, "out of shame", women described rape as what had been a report consensual sexual. "Everything is possible, (but) it's not usual," replied my psychiatrist.
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- metoo
- Harvey Weinstein
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