Ghislaine Maxwell jury begins deliberations after closings

NEW YORK (AP) — The sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell is speeding to a conclusion. The jury began deliberations late Monday in Manhattan federal court. The jury went home after less than an hour. Earlier, a prosecutor said during closing arguments that the 59-year-old Maxwell is a dangerous predator who helped Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. A defense lawyer said Maxwell is an innocent woman wrongfully accused of crimes she did not commit. Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan federal jail cell in August 2019 as he awaited a sex trafficking trial. Maxwell has been held without bail since she was arrested in July 2020.