Tag: Bill Cosby

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Bill Cosby To Be Released From Prison After Sex Assault Conviction Overturned

Comedian Bill Cosby

Comedian Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby (image via Flickr/World Affairs Council – CC license)
Comedian Bill Cosby will be released from prison within hours today as Pennsylvania’s high court has reportedly overturned his conviction for sex assault. According to the ruling, because a previous prosecutor chose not to charge Cosby, the actor felt he could speak freely about the incident. His remarks ultimately led to his being found guilty. Cosby was convicted of three aggravated indecent assault counts and sentenced in 2018 to 3-10 years in prison. From the New York Post:

Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned Bill Cosby’s sex assault conviction Wednesday after finding an agreement with a previous prosecutor prevented him from being charged in the case.

Cosby has served more than two years of a three- to 10-year sentence at a state prison near Philadelphia. He had vowed to serve all 10 years rather than acknowledge any remorse over the 2004 encounter with accuser Andrea Constand.

The 83-year-old Cosby, who was once beloved as “America’s Dad,” was convicted of drugging and molesting the Temple University employee at his suburban estate.

More from NBC News:

The state Supreme Court said a previous prosecutor’s decision not to charge Cosby, 83, opened the door for him to speak freely in a civil lawsuit against him — and that testimony was key in the comic’s conviction in criminal court.

“When an unconditional charging decision is made publicly and with the intent to induce action and reliance by the defendant, and when the defendant does so to his detriment (and in some instances upon the advice of counsel), denying the defendant the benefit of that decision is an affront to fundamental fairness, particularly when it results in a criminal prosecution that was foregone for more than a decade,” according to the high court opinion.

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Bill Cosby Sentenced to 3-10 Years In Prison For Sexual Assault

Bill Cosby, formerly “America’s Dad,” has been sentenced to three to ten years in prison for three counts of sexual assault.
Bill Cosby (booking photo via Montgomery County Board of Commissioners)

Bill Cosby, formerly “America’s Dad,” has been sentenced to three to ten years in prison for three counts of sexual assault.

After years of scandal and accusations, Cosby was found guilty of three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault in April.

While state guidelines recommend between one and four years for each count, a single count has the potential to carry 10 years in prison meaning Cosby could have faced a 30-year prison sentence.

According to Yahoo News, Judge Steven O’Neill told the court during sentencing, “I’m not permitted to treat him any differently based on who he is or who he was.”

The District Attorney had asked for the maximum sentence but the defense team requested leniency in regard to Cosby’s age and frailty (Cosby is now legally blind).

Cosby will now serve at least three years in prison with the possibility of supervised release at that point, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be released then.

Andrea Constand, his victim, was in the courtroom as well as more than half a dozen of Cosby’s other accusers (he had nearly 60 in total).

In her victim impact letter, which was shared in court on Monday, Constand wrote that the “psychological, emotional, and financial bullying included a slander campaign in the media that left my entire family reeling in shock and disbelief.”

“Now, almost 15 years later, I’m a middle aged woman who’s been stuck in a holding pattern for most of her adult life, unable to heal fully or move forward,” she added.

In addition to the prison sentence, Cosby was denied bail; has been ordered to pay a $25,000 fine; undergo counseling for the rest of his life; and register as a sex offender.

In the era of the #MeToo movement, it’s notable that in order to deliver justice for the victim, it took two trials and dozens of accusers to come forward.

And people wonder why sexual assault victims don’t come forward immediately.

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Bill Cosby’s “Barbecue Sauce”

In light of yesterday’s 3 guilty verdicts in the Bill Cosby sexual assault case, you could say this clip from the 1980s Cosby Show didn’t age well.

Back then, Cosby called it “barbecue sauce…”

(h/t Boy Culture)

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Bill Cosby Found Guilty On 3 Counts Of Aggravated Indecent Assault

From CBS News:

The jury in Bill Cosby’s sexual assault retrial has found the comedian guilty of sexually assaulting a former Temple University women’s basketball administrator at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in 2004. Cosby was charged with three counts of felony indecent aggravated assault. He faces 10 years in prison on each count.

The jury at Cosby’s first trial deliberated for more than 52 hours over six days last year without reaching a verdict.

Jurors in this trial began deliberating Wednesday in Norristown, Pa. after prosecutors in closing arguments portrayed the 80-year-old former TV star as a serial predator who drugged and molested the woman, Andrea Constand, 14 years ago.

Five other women were called to the witness stand and testified the same thing had happened to them.

According to court records, the 3 assault charges were penetration with lack of consent, penetration while unconscious, and penetration after administering an intoxicant.

After the verdict, Cosby apparently began cursing at the prosecutor in the courtroom.

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Judge Declares Mistrial In Bill Cosby Rape Case

After 52 hours of deadlocked deliberation, Judge Steven O’Neill declared a mistrial in the case against TV icon Bill Cosby.

Cosby was charged with three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault against a former employee of his alma mater, Temple University.

Cosby faced a potential 10 years in prison for the alleged 2004 assault.

According to reports, the Montgomery County district attorney’s office already plans to retry Cosby.

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News Round-Up: May 24, 2016

Some news stories you may have missed:

• Twitter really wants Marvel to #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend

• North Carolina’s anti-LGBT law, HB2, has already cost Mecklenburg County $285 million and 1,300 jobs. And that’s just ONE county.

• After more than 50 women have accused comedian Bill Cosby of inappropriate sexual behavior, he’s now been ordered to stand trial for one of those alleged sexual assaults.

• The San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus not only accepts the apology of the DJ who “pushed the button” that caused much turmoil at a recent San Diego Padres game, but they are asking that he get his job back.

• The International Olympic Committee will be shipping 450,000 condoms to the Rio de Janeiro Olympic games. That’s three times what was provided at the London 2012 Olympic Village. #BowChickaBowWow

• Pop music royal Mariah Carey has inked a deal with the Hallmark Channel to develop, produce and star in three TV movies over the next two years.

• Ariana Grande’s new music video for “Into You” pairs her with America’s Next Top Model hottie Don Benjamin. The attractive couple wear some sexy denim and skin in the pop-colored vid.