Photo: Montgomery County Planning Commission
After 15 hours of deliberation over the course of 2 days, a Montgomery County, PA jury handed down a guilty verdict in the re-trial against Bill Cosby over three counts of aggravated assault. A few months back, a previous trial left the jury in a deadlock on the charges.
However, today after a re-trial, a jury of seven men and five women decided that there was enough evidence to convict Cosby on claims stemming from a 2004 encounter stating the comedian drugged and molested Temple University employee Andrea Constand in his suburban Philadelphia home. Cosby claimed the encounter was consensual.
In the last few years, dozens of women have come forward to state that the comedian had drugged and sexually assaulted them as far back as to the beginning of the Cosby's career with five of those accusers testifying against him in the re-trial. While Cosby's wrongdoings could date back decades, this Constand case was the only one that made it to court because of the statute of limitations.
After the verdict, Judge Steven O'Neill stated to an emotionless Cosby that he would remain free on bail until his sentencing. District Attorney Kevin Steele then pushed for Cosby to be jailed immediately stating Cosby was a flight risk because he owned a plane. This angered the comedian who shouted back, “He doesn’t have a plane, you assh*le,” referring to himself in the third person. "He doesn’t know." Not date for sentencing was announced, though the state law requires it within 100 days of conviction.
Cosby is facing up to 30 years in prison - 10 years for each count.
“We are very disappointed by the verdict,” Cosby’s attorney Tom Mesereau said after the verdict. "We don’t think Mr. Cosby is guilty of anything, and the fight is not over.” When asked if he plans to repeal Mesereau stated yes.