In Hollywood, the fall from grace happens faster than you can blink; Some rise again quickly, but others never. While the phenomenon usually stems from the changing needs of the industry, some Hollywood stalwarts stem from their poor choices. In the court hearing against Bill Cosby, the once great man fell into a gigantic fall. The man who was loved even in times of overt racism on American television is now seen as ridiculous by many. Cosby was one of the familiar faces of sexual assault and misconduct that was rampant in Hollywood. He was recently sentenced to three to 10 years in prison for indecent assault. Here is a schedule of the process,
Facts about Bill Cosby’s trial
Although the earliest alleged incident of sexual misconduct against Bill Cosby was in the mid ’60s, the first incident of sexual abuse or misconduct against him was in 2005 by Ms. Constand.
Ms Constand alleges that Mr Cosby attacked her at his home after he offered her wine spiked with three pills of Quaaludes. Bruce L. Castor reported to the State Police and District Attorney at the time of the Montgomery County. She then proceeds to sue Bill Cosby, and the resulting publicity emboldened twelve other women who had claimed a similar incident to testify in support of her case.
During a deposition for Bill Cosby’s trial, the comedian great admitted to drugging her and the other women for sex. However, because the lawsuit was civil, the case was settled out of court with a non-disclosure agreement. It is later revealed that the case was settled for $3.38 million. For the next nine years, all was quiet about the allegations against Bill Cosby, until comedian Hannibal Buress called Bill Cosby a rapist on a comedy program in October 2014.
The routine quickly went viral and sparked a resurgence of allegations against the famous entertainer. With his name in the news as an alleged sexual predator, more women came out with claims and allegations against Bill Cosby. The claims against him involved incidents that spanned 10 US states and one Canadian province between 1965 and 2008.
In December 2015, specifically on Dec. 30. Cosby was arrested and charged with three counts of Class II aggravated indecent assault in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The charges were brought on the basis of Ms Constand’s allegations, which had been retried after she was first released in 2005.
The first trial began on June 5, 2017, after the jury selection process concluded. The jury consisted of one black woman, one black man, six white men and four white women. After days of court hearings, the judge declared the trial a mistrial when the jury failed to reach a consensus after six days of deliberation. The jury vote at the end of the trial was 10-2 to convict Cosby of one charge (digital penetration without consent) and three (drugged without knowledge or consent), while an 11-1 jury voted for an acquittal of 2 (Constant was unconscious during the alleged attack). A second trial began in March 2018 and after days of hearings and jury deliberations, Bill Cosby was found guilty on three counts of aggravated indecent assault. His sentencing was scheduled for September 24, 2018.
judgment and condemnation
The long and tiring hours of Bill Cosby’s trial ended when he was found guilty by a jury on April 26, 2018. The judge, Judge O’Neil, then scheduled his sentencing to begin on September 24, 2018. After years of prosecution and public crucifixion, Cosby was finally sentenced to three to 10 years in prison on September 25, 2018.
is he in jail
In the court hearing against Bill Cosby, he was remanded in custody after his conviction. He was posted to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections SCI Phoenix in Skippack Township, Pennsylvania. While his criminal case is over, Bill Cosby still faces nine civil lawsuits from multiple women, and trials are expected to begin in the near future.