On Tuesday, a Pennslyvania court has rejected Bill Cosby’s attempt to have his 2018 aggravated indecent assault overturned.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Superior Court unanimously decided that testimony from five additional accusers did not unjustly sway the jury’s verdict. Ultimately, the judges found that Montgomery County prosecutors were legally justified to include their testimonies to show a “signature pattern” on Cosby’s part.
“Here, the evidence established [Cosby’s] unique sexual assault playbook,” the appellate court wrote in their 94-page opinion, adding that the testimonies removed doubt that Cosby was “unaware” of the victim’s non-consent.
Cosby is serving a three- to 10-year sentence at SCI-Phoenix for sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his Cheltenham home in 2004. During his trial, prosecutors argued that the comedian had a penchant for drugging and raping unconscious women. However, more than 60 women have accused him of sexual assault, according to NPR.
The news outlet reported that the Pennsylvania Superior Court was tasked with answering three questions, including:
- If the lower court was allowed to include the five women’s testimonies
- If the charges should have been dismissed based on a 2005 agreement from then-District Attorney Bruce Castor to never prosecute Cosby in the Constand case
- Whether Cosby’s disposition about his distribution of quaaludes to women in the 1970s should have been included in his 2018 trial
Cosby’s publicist called Tuesday’s verdict “appalling and disappointing” and told The Inquirer that they plan to appeal to the state’s Supreme Court.
His publicist said, “We’re not shocked because it shows the world that this isn’t about justice, but this is a political scheme to destroy America’s Dad.”
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[Featured image: Bill Cosby/State Correctional Institute at Phoenix]
