Terence Crosbie, the Dublin firefighter accused of raping a woman in Boston in March 2024, has been ordered to stay in the US after Judge Sarah Weyland Ellis declared a mistrial on Friday, June 20.
The mistrial was declared after the deadlocked jury said they could not come to a unanimous decision.
The jury of eight men and four women had begun deliberations on Monday, June 16, a week after the trial began in the Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 9.
According to the Boston Globe, Judge Ellis deemed Crosbie a "flight risk" and increased his bail from $10,000 to $50,000 cash.
Crosbie has also been ordered to remain in Massachusetts and will be under GPS monitoring.
The retrial has been scheduled for October 14.
Crosbie's wife, who was in court on Friday for the hearing, was visibly upset at the outcome. According to the Boston Globe, some of Crosbie's friends were also there, comforting her.
Crosbie, who pleaded not guilty, continues to maintain his innocence.
“He’s obviously very disappointed in the outcome, as anyone would be,” Crosbie's attorney Daniel C. Reilly told the Boston Globe after the mistrial was declared.
“He’s missing his family, he’s been away from his girls, his wife, since last March.”
Announcing the charges against Crosbie on Monday, March 18, last year, Assistant District Attorney Erin Murphy said that on Friday morning, March 15, Boston police interviewed a 28-year-old woman at Massachusetts General Hospital who told them she had been sexually assaulted at the Omni Parker House earlier that morning.
Detectives secured video surveillance from the hotel and from The Black Rose, a bar and restaurant in Boston, where both Crosbie and the victim were on the Thursday evening.
Police learned that Crosbie had flown to Boston from Ireland earlier on Thursday with other members of the Dublin Fire Brigade and that he was scheduled to leave the following Tuesday.
Crosbie was sharing a hotel room with a fellow firefighter, whom the victim said she had consensual sex with before they fell asleep in separate beds.
The victim alleged that she woke the following day to another man sexually assaulting her, later identifying that man as Crosbie.
The woman quoted Crosbie as saying, "I know you want this, he (the other man) fell asleep."
After being interviewed by police on the Saturday, Crosbie booked a flight for 10:10 pm that night, days before his scheduled departure date. At the airport, Crosbie boarded an even earlier flight, departing at around 7 pm. However, State police stopped the plane on the Logan Airport tarmac and removed Crosbie.
When the charges were announced, District Attorney Kevin Hayden commended the victim for coming forward.
His office also noted at the time: "All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
In a statement to IrishCentral when the charges were announced, the Dublin Fire Brigade said: "Dublin Fire Brigade Chief Fire Officer has been made aware that the Boston Police Department have begun a criminal investigation into an alleged serious case involving a member of Dublin Fire Brigade.
"The firefighter has immediately been placed on leave.
"We cannot comment on the specific circumstances but we would reiterate the high standards that we expect from all who represent our organisation at any event.
"As a result, we are conducting an internal investigation and establishing the facts in collaboration with the appropriate authorities and the organisers of the delegation."
Crosbie entered his not guilty plea on June 5, 2024. Cash bail was initially set at $100k, but that was reduced in August to $10k following a request from Crosbie's lawyer.
Crosbie, however, remained in jail.
Court records show that in July, prosecutors filed a motion requesting a DNA sample from Crosbie. He initially objected to giving a sample, though the judge approved the prosecutor's request, and Crosbie gave an oral sample in August.
According to the Boston Globe, the trial heard that while DNA from two males was found in the accuser's genital swab, a prosecution and defense witness agreed there was no DNA evidence linking Crosbie to the sexual assault.
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