Accompanied for the first time by his wife of more than 50 years, Bill Cosby walked into a courthouse Tuesday morning ahead of closing arguments in his sexual assault retrial.
Camille Cosby had been absent from the courtroom as prosecutors called a series of women to the stand who testified her husband drugged and sexually assaulted them, but she was by his side Tuesday for the trialB次元官网网址檚 conclusion.
The jury that will start deliberating CosbyB次元官网网址檚 fate has heard the comedian described over the past two weeks both as a B次元官网网址渟erial rapistB次元官网网址� and a con artistB次元官网网址檚 victim.
They have seen a half-dozen accusers testify that the man once revered as B次元官网网址淎mericaB次元官网网址檚 DadB次元官网网址� had a sordid secret life that involved preying on women for his own sexual gratification. And they have heard from a witness who says his chief accuser talked about framing a high-profile person to score a big payday.
Now, seven men and five women who have been kept in a suburban Philadelphia hotel, away from family, friends and daily routines, will get to have their say in the first big celebrity trial of the #MeToo era.
B次元官网网址淵ou now have all of the evidence,B次元官网网址� Judge Steven OB次元官网网址橬eill told them after CosbyB次元官网网址檚 lawyers rested on Monday without calling the 80-year-old comedian to the stand. B次元官网网址淭ry to relax, so that youB次元官网网址檙e on your game tomorrow.B次元官网网址�
Jurors could be in for a marathon.
Related:
Before going off to deliberate, they will hear both sides rehash the case in lengthy closing arguments, and they will get OB次元官网网址橬eillB次元官网网址檚 instructions in the law.
Cosby is charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault B次元官网网址� all stemming from Toronto native Andrea ConstandB次元官网网址檚 allegations that he knocked her out with three pills he called B次元官网网址測our friendsB次元官网网址� and molested her at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in January 2004.
Each count carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Cosby has said he gave Constand 1 1/2 tablets of the over-the-counter cold and allergy medicine Benadryl to help her relax before what he called a consensual sexual encounter.
The jury in CosbyB次元官网网址檚 first trial weighed the evidence for more than 52 hours over six days without reaching a verdict.
This time, both sides have given the retrial jury much more to consider.
Prosecutors were able to call five additional accusers who testified that Cosby also drugged and violated them B次元官网网址� including one woman who asked him through her tears, B次元官网网址淵ou remember, donB次元官网网址檛 you, Mr. Cosby?B次元官网网址�
CosbyB次元官网网址檚 new defence team, led by Michael Jackson lawyer Tom Mesereau, countered with a far more robust effort at stoking doubts about ConstandB次元官网网址檚 credibility and raising questions about whether CosbyB次元官网网址檚 arrest was even legal.
The defenceB次元官网网址檚 star witness was a former colleague of Constand who says Constand spoke of levelling false sexual assault accusations against a high-profile person for the purpose of filing a civil suit. Constand got a civil settlement of nearly $3.4 million from Cosby.
Both juries also heard from Cosby himself B次元官网网址� not on the witness stand, but via an explosive deposition he gave in 2005 and 2006 as part of ConstandB次元官网网址檚 civil suit against him. In it, Cosby acknowledged he gave the sedative quaaludes to women before sex in the 1970s.
CosbyB次元官网网址檚 lawyers devoted the last two days of their case to travel records they say prove he could not have been at his suburban Philadelphia home in January 2004. They argue that any encounter there with Constand would have happened earlier, outside the statute of limitations.
CosbyB次元官网网址檚 private jet records and travel itineraries produced by CosbyB次元官网网址檚 lawyers do not show any flights in or out of the Philadelphia area in January 2004, but they have large gaps B次元官网网址� a total of 17 days that month in which Cosby was not travelling, performing or taping TV appearances.
District Attorney Kevin Steele noted that the records do not account for other ways Cosby could have gotten to Philadelphia.
B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 tell us whether he got on a commercial flight,B次元官网网址� Steele said, questioning a defence aviation expert. B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 tell us whether he got on a train. You canB次元官网网址檛 tell us whether he got in a car and drove to Philadelphia.B次元官网网址�
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.
___
Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press
Like us on and follow us on .
