Bill Cosby has walked free from prison this morning with no chance of retrial after serving just two years of a three to ten year sentence for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting a woman 15 years ago.
“Cosby’s convictions and judgment of sentence are vacated, and he is discharged,” the Pennsylvania Supreme Court wrote in a 79-page ruling.
The state Supreme Court found that a deal with a previous prosecutor prevented the former sitcom star from being charged for the crime against Andrea Constand in 2004.
Charges were first laid against Cosby by Constand in 2015 with more than 60 other women coming forward with accusations of sexual assault. However he was unable to be tried for any of the additional allegations as they fell outside of America’s 12-year statute of limitations. He was convicted in 2018 at his second trial, after a first trial ended in a hung jury.
Since his arrest, Cosby has refused to express any remorse over the allegations and was recently denied parole, in part, because of this.
Andrea Constand first reported the alleged assault in 2005 to then-Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr., who declined to file charges. The case was picked back up by Castor’s successor in 2015 who was ultimately unaware of Castor’s previous arrangement with Cosby and his lawyers not to prosecute for the assault provided Cosby sat for a deposition for a civil case Constand had filed against him.
“Today’s majority decision regarding Bill Cosby is not only disappointing but of concern in that it may discourage those who seek justice for sexual assault in the criminal justice system from reporting or participating in the prosecution of the assailant or may force a victim to choose between filing either a criminal or civil action,” Constand and her lawyers said in a statement.
Cosby posted to Twitter this morning a picture of himself, fist in the air, thanking his friends and fans for their support throughout “this ordeal”.
“I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence. Thank you to all my fans, supporters and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law.”
However, already a slew of high-profile women have come forward expressing outrage at the result.
Cosby drugged and raped 60 women. Do they not deserve “fairness” and justice?
This is why people don’t come forward.
This is why urging people to “press charges” falls short, as long as wealthy & powerful men can rape & sexually assault people for decades with impunity #MeToo— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) June 30, 2021
More to come.