The jury has deliberated for about 33 hours.
December 29, 2021, 7:43 PM
• 5 min read
Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleJury deliberations in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial resumed Wednesday morning. Maxwell was walked partway into the courtroom around 9:25 a.m., wearing a burgundy turtleneck and clutching a green folio.
While the trial is in its 18th day, the jury has deliberated for about 37 hours. And it appears that the jury is no rush to render a verdict before the New Year's holiday.
The jury, which told Judge Alison Nathan at the end of the day Tuesday, that it was "in a good place," sent a note to the judge Wednesday morning.
Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell sits as the jury continues to deliberate in her trial in a courtroom sketch in New York City, Dec. 28, 2021.
"May we please have the following transcripts," the note said before listing several names: Shawn, Cimberly Espinoza, Amanda Young and Jason Richards.
When Nathan stepped off the bench after addressing the first note, Maxwell and defense attorney Bobbi Sternheim had a close conversation while standing. Maxwell's sleeves were rolled up and her hands were clasped behind her back. A short time later she was huddled with her other attorneys, seated at the defense table.
"May we please have the Larry Visoski testimony?" the jury also asked in a note.
Visoski, one of Jeffrey Epstein's private pilots, was the very first witness for the prosecution. He recalled accuser "Jane" on Epstein's plane, along with her "piercing powder blue eyes."
The jury has now asked for transcripts of testimony from a third of the witnesses.
Shawn was the boyfriend of an alleged Maxwell victim, identified only as Carolyn.
Espinoza was the first witness called by the defense. She was Maxwell's assistant in 1996 in Epstein's New York office. This is the first time the defense has asked for testimony from a defense witness.
Amanda Young and Jason Richards are both FBI agents on the Epstein-Maxwell case. The defense called the two agents to testify about inconsistent statements by the accusers.
In the same note, jurors also asked about their own schedules.
"May we have clarification regarding our schedule going forward. Are we required to continue our deliberations everyday including 12/31 and 1/1? We ask in order to plan our schedules accordingly," the note said.
Jurors asked for testimony from an additional witness but neither the judge nor the lawyers could read the name. Upon clarification, the jury asked for the transcript of Elizabeth Loftus, the defense expert witness who testified about the frailty of memory.
Regarding the schedule, the judge said she would tell jurors that deliberations would continue as needed every day going forward, including Dec. 31, Jan. 1 and Jan. 2, until there's a verdict.
The judge said jurors could inform the court of a "substantial hardship because of unmovable commitments" but otherwise the judge said deliberations would continue uninterrupted by the holiday.
"By this I don't mean to pressure you. You should take all the time that you need," Judge Alison Nathan said in her reply.
Nathan cited the "high likelihood that a necessary member of the trial participants or one or more members of the jury would need to quarantine for ten days should they test positive." She said that would result in "a substantial delay."
