Jury in Ghislaine Maxwell Trial Breaks for Christmas

Decide Nathan informed the jurors to take precautions over the vacation, as Covid-19 surges in New York. “Clearly we’ve obtained the variant and I would like all of you right here and wholesome on Monday,” she mentioned. The courtroom administration would require them to put on protecting masks, much like N95s, she added.

Throughout the trial, which started in late November, prosecutors accused Ms. Maxwell of enabling disgraced financier

Jeffrey Epstein’s

sexual abuse by recruiting underage ladies and at instances collaborating within the abuse herself. Ms. Maxwell faces six prison counts at trial, together with intercourse trafficking of minors, a cost that carries a most of 40 years in jail.

Ms. Maxwell, 59 years previous, pleaded not responsible and has mentioned she didn’t commit a criminal offense. Her attorneys argued that she is a scapegoat for Epstein, who died in jail whereas awaiting his personal sex-trafficking trial. Throughout the trial, her attorneys mentioned that the ladies who testified had inconsistent accounts and have been financially motivated to work with the federal government.

The jury started its deliberations late Monday afternoon. Since then, they’ve requested further supplies, a few of which counsel they’re scrutinizing what protection attorneys have claimed are inconsistencies in accusers’ accounts.

On Tuesday, jurors despatched a number of notes to the choose, together with one asking for transcripts of the testimony of three accusers.

The jurors additionally requested for a duplicate of notes from a 2007 interview that an accuser did with Federal Bureau of Investigation brokers. Throughout their cross-examination of the accuser, Ms. Maxwell’s attorneys cited statements the accuser made within the interview to attempt to present inconsistencies with the girl’s testimony on the trial.

Nonetheless, Decide Nathan denied the jury’s request as a result of the 2007 FBI notes have been by no means admitted as proof. She instructed jurors to think about what was mentioned in regards to the notes in testimony.

On Wednesday afternoon, the jurors requested for the testimony of two accusers and a former home supervisor for Epstein.

The 12 jurors come from different backgrounds and vary in age from 32 to 64. All both stay in Manhattan, the Bronx or Westchester. Many are professionals, together with a musician, a clerical employee for New York Metropolis, an government assistant for a finance firm and two who work in training. Throughout jury choice, most mentioned they’d some data about Ms. Maxwell and Epstein.

Some informed the choose that they didn’t comply with the information carefully, saying they most well-liked to observe movies and TV exhibits.

The musician mentioned throughout jury choice that public radio was a information supply. “However truthfully, like after the primary seven months of the pandemic, I felt form of oversaturated by information, so I don’t actually pay attention a lot,” the musician mentioned.

Write to Corinne Ramey at Corinne.Ramey@wsj.com