Bill Cosby, the man who was once considered to be a paragon of values, has been convicted of three counts of indecent assault. Instead of handling the ruling gracefully, the 80-year-old pervert made a spectacle of himself and lashed out in court.
The prosecution wanted to revoke Cosby’s bail.
“He has a plane,” District Attorney Kevin Steele told the judge when discussing Cosby’s options.
He doesn’t have a plane, you a–hole! That shows what you know!” Cosby suddenly shrieked, leaping up from his seat.
The image is a far-cry from the carefully crafted one that he tried to maintain for years. Cosby presented himself as a moral leader while he was engaging in foul, cruel, criminal behavior. Over 60 women allege that Cosby drugged and raped them.
“There are many forces that discourage victims from reporting these crimes. Let’s hope the legacy of this case is that victims feel empowered to come forward, knowing that it can truly make a difference in bringing perpetrators to justice;” said Scott Berkowitz, president of RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.
Cosby’s team is already vowing to fight the conviction.
“As we know from the first trial, the end of deliberations does not mean it’s over,” Stuart Slotnick, a New York criminal defense lawyer, said.
“Was it overly prejudicial to allow five accusers to testify about uncharged crimes, thereby affecting the jury’s verdict unfairly? Clearly, one complainant and one additional accuser were not enough to procure a conviction at the first trial, and by allowing five additional women to testify, the judge really put his thumb on the scale… It’s possible the jurors will say they thought he was guilty because where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and there was a lot of smoke.”
Cosby is old, rich, and still powerful. His first trial ended in a mistrial. His legal team might be able to finagle a way to get him out of this conviction. A third trial seems unlikely given Cosby’s advanced age.
The judge now has a lot of latitude in his sentencing decision. He can sentence Cosby to 30 years behind bars, probation, and everything in between.
(Source: USA Today)