iradiophilly | News - Bill Cosby Leaves Prison. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Overturns Sex Assault Conviction

Streaming Radio for Philadelphia
More Music. Fewer Interruptions. Just what you want to hear.

FOLLOW:

News
Talk about what's in the news


The Post

Bill Cosby Leaves Prison. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Overturns Sex Assault Conviction

by: iradioal - Philadelphia, PA
started: 06/30/21 4:32 pm | updated: 06/30/21 4:32 pm

Bill Cosby walked out of state prison on Wednesday afternoon, 6/30, just hours after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction on sexual assault charges. They voted 4-3. 83-year-old Cosby had served over 2 years of a 10-year sentence. He left SCI Phoenix in Montgomery County and returned to his home in Cheltenham just outside Philadelphia.

He was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his Cheltenham home in 2004. Constant was an employee of Temple University. Former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor made a verbal agreement with Cosby not to press charges if he would testify at a deposition for a civil case brought by Constand in 2005. Even though there was no formal record of this agreement, the court ruled that DA Kevin Steele was bound by it and should not have brought charges in 2015. However, Cosby was arrested just before the statute of limitations would have ran out on the case.

Cosby's first trial ended in a mistrial. Only one other accuser testified at that time. At the second trial, five other accusers testified. The court ruled that those additional testimonies tainted the jury by removing the presumption of innocence and went beyond establishing a pattern of crime. The ruling also says that Cosby cannot be tried again on these same charges.

The Montgomery County District Attorney released this statement:
The majority decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court orders the release of William H. Cosby Jr. from state prison. He was found guilty by a jury and now goes free on a procedural issue that is irrelevant to the facts of the crime. I want to commend Cosby's victim Andrea Constand for her bravery in coming forward and remaining steadfast throughout this long ordeal, as well as all of the other women who have shared similar experiences. My hope is that this decision will not dampen the reporting of sexual assaults by victims. Prosecutors in my office will continue to follow the evidence wherever and to whomever it leads. We still believe that no one is above the law - including those who are rich, famous and powerful.

Commonwealth v. Cosby, Jr., W., Aplt. - No. 39 MAP 2020; mo, co/do, dohttps://t.co/vhLBgoF2Mn https://t.co/0qVJcJpRiI https://t.co/2ywRzQioGA
— SupremeCtofPA (@SupremeCtofPA) June 30, 2021

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. #BillCosby pic.twitter.com/bxELvJWDe5
— Bill Cosby (@BillCosby) June 30, 2021

TOP STORIES

(0) responses

Welcome to iradiophilly! Philadelphia's Internet Radio Community

Welcome! Start listening now for FREE! The music is always on, so choose a radio station and click to listen. You can find fun Events around Philly and you can list yours on our Events page FREE. We will also promote cool Philly shows, events and fundraisers on the air FREE. There are also great opportunities to become a sponsor or advertise. iRadioPhilly supports the Philadelphia music and arts scene. If you are a local musician or performer, send us your stuff. We will play it on our BYO radio station, Philadelphia's Local Stage. We're designing the radio stations and iradiophilly to reflect Philadelphia's music tastes, so we'll want your input. We're glad you're here. Invite your friends.

FOLLOW:

Site Design by Bananaland | Built by quadpain media