PENNSYLVANIA
Reuters
April 23. 2018
David DeKok
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (Reuters) – Prosecutors and comedian Bill Cosby’s defense team were each set to deliver closing arguments in his sexual assault retrial on Monday, taking a final shot at convincing a jury he is innocent or guilty of charges he drugged and sexually assaulted a former friend.
The defense could call two final witnesses to testify before the arguments begin, wrapping up testimony that began on April 9 at Montgomery County Courthouse outside Philadelphia.Cosby, 80, a stand-up comedian who went on to star in a number of hit television series including “The Cosby Show” in the 1980s, faces three counts of aggravated indecent assault of Andrea Constand, 45, in December 2004.
He stood trial on the same charges last year, when the deadlocked jury was unable to reach a verdict, leading prosecutors to try him again.
But this time the jury heard evidence that Judge Steven O’Neill barred from the first trial.
The prosecution called to the witness stand five other women who accused Cosby of similar sexual attacks, whereas only one such witness was allow to testify in the first trial, to show that the 2004 incident fit a pattern of criminal behavior.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.