Jury deadlocked in trial of Dublin firefighter accused of rape in the US
The jury in Irish firefighter Terence Crosbie's rape case declared it was deadlocked after five days of deliberations.
On Friday afternoon at Suffolk Superior Court in Boston, Massachusetts, the jury sent a note to the judge saying it couldn't make a unanimous decision. However, it has not yet been declared a mistrial as the judge issued a special legal instruction aimed at producing a verdict.
Superior Court Judge Sarah Weyland Ellis said it was 'a good time in the day' to issue the Tuey-Rodriguez charge as the jurors have been deliberating since Monday. In Massachusetts, the charge is a jury instruction used when it is deadlocked. It encourages jurors to re-evaluate their positions and attempt to reach a verdict, while also acknowledging the possibility of a mistrial.
Judge Weyland Ellis reminded the jury that they were selected in the 'same manner and source' that a future jury would be selected from. Crosbie, a 39-year-old from Dublin, is charged with raping a woman at the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston on March 15, 2024. He was visiting the city with a group of other firefighters, set to march in the South Boston Parade.
He has pleaded not guilty. When he took to the stand in court on June 13, Crosbie said he 'hit the panic button' after being accused of rape.
It was heard in the court that the alleged victim went willingly back to the hotel with a fellow firefighter, who was sharing a room with Crosbie after they met at The Black Rose bar. The pair had consensual sex and then they fell asleep in separate beds. Crosbie was not in the room at this time but key swipe records show he returned at 1:55 am.
Assistant District Attorney Erin Murphy said previously: "Because the victim was asleep when he returned she was unaware that he was even there until she woke up to him actively raping her.'She demanded that he stop and asked what he was doing and the defendant continued, he did not stop and he made remarks to the effect of that he knew that she wanted this, that it was pathetic that his friend had fallen asleep and couldn't do it and that he was going to do it for her.'The alleged victim is understood to have left the room around 2:15 a.m., according to hotel records. At which point, she texted a friend to tell them she'd been sexually assaulted before heading to hospital. The prosecution alleges that after Crosbie was initially questioned by the police - he tried to return to Ireland.They said after he was interviewed, he changed his return flight before boarding an even earlier one after arriving at Logan International Airport. The plane was stopped on the tarmac and Crosbie was arrested and removed.Crosbie told cops he returned to the room and said that there was a woman there but strenuously denied having any interaction with her.
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