Bill Cosby proven guilty, faces up to 10 years imprisonment
Bill Cosby was on Thursday found guilty on all three counts of drugging and sexually assaulting onetime friend Andrea Constand at his Philadelphia home in 2004. Popularly known as "America's Dad" for his role in The Cosby Show, the 80-year-old comedian faces up to 10 years in prison on each count, but he will probably serve them concurrently. Read on for more.
Since the sentencing hearing hasn't been scheduled yet, Cosby remains out on bail. Saying he was a flight risk because he owned a plane, the district attorney requested the judge for an immediate arrest. Cosby, who hadn't testified through the trial, finally bellowed: "He doesn't have a plane, you asshole!" The jury took more than 14 hours over two days to reach the verdict.
In arguably the first celebrity sexual-assault trial of the #MeToo and Time's Up era, Cosby's conviction is a testimony that the movements have brought about more than cultural shift, that they can successfully translate in courtroom convictions and topple the biggest of predators. Over 50 women had accused Cosby of sexual assault. However, the comedian has repeatedly denied all allegations, saying they were consensual.
Andrea Constand, a former women's basketball team administrator at Temple University, where Cosby was a trustee, alleged that he drugged, molested her when she visited his home 14 years ago to ask for career advice. Constand, now 45, first informed police in 2005 but the then Montgomery district attorney didn't press charges. Constand and Cosby eventually settled a $3.38 million civil lawsuit in 2006.
However, in 2015, when a series of women spoke out against Cosby's sexual misconduct, new district attorney Kevin Steele, filed charges. Despite hordes of women's accusations against Cosby, only Constand's allegations resulted in criminal charges. The others were dismissed as too old to be prosecuted.
This isn't Cosby's first trial for the case. Last year, a different jury had deadlocked in his first trial on the same charges, forcing the judge to declare a mistrial. Prosecutors decided that he be retried. But this time, the seven-man, five-woman jury arrived at a unanimous decision. Cosby's attorney Tom Mesereau doesn't agree with it though. He intends to appeal "very strongly."
Meanwhile, Carnegie Mellon University and University of Notre Dame have revoked the honorary degrees they awarded Cosby in 2007 and 1990 respectively. Carnegie Mellon said it "will not tolerate sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking or sexual harassment." Notre Dame said it "elected to wait until due process had been afforded the accused, and a verdict delivered, before rescinding the honor."
