Bill Cosby Rape Trial: Plaintiff's Counsel Reveals Witnesses Against Actor; Defendant's Lawyers Claim Irregularities in Accuser's Story
The criminal trial against Bill Cosby for his alleged rape of Andrea Constand already began, with the plaintiff's lawyers already revealing the list of witnesses to testify against the Hollywood icon. Meanwhile, Cosby's defense team claimed inconsistencies in the accuser's story.
Cosby's criminal trial began last Monday, June 5, in a stand-alone courtroom in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Deadline reports.
The opposing counsel, led by Montgomery County Deputy District Attorney Kristen Feden, began the trial with her opening arguments. "Trust, betrayal, and inability to consent, that's what this case is about," Feden said.
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The criminal trial is grounded on Constand's accusations of Cosby drugging and sexually assaulting her in his mansion in Philadelphia in 2004. "These three friends will help you relax," Feden said as she quoted what Cosby told Constand on the night of the alleged drug-induced sexual assault.
Later on, Feden shared with the jury the list of witnesses that will take the stand against Cosby. The witnesses include the accuser, Constand's mother – who had telephone conversations with Cosby after the alleged assault – and "Kasey," a William Morris Agency assistant who claims to have been drugged and sexually assaulted by Cosby in the mid-1990s.
"Kasey," also known as "prior alleged victim six," was the only granted witness to testify in court against Cosby among 13 women, all of whom claim to have been sexually assaulted by Cosby.
Meanwhile, Cosby's defense attorney, Brian McMonagle, claimed that there are a lot of inconsistencies in Constand's story.
"Sexual assault is a terrible crime, it takes away dignity. ... False accusation of sexual assault is worst — it's an attack on human dignity," McMonagle said in his opening statement.
McMonagle then elaborated on the Montgomery County D.A.'s investigation of the alleged assault and emphasized that Constand's story had many inconsistencies. He also said that Constand returned from Canada and got a lawyer that specialized in sexual assault cases.
If the jury finds Cosby guilty of all three felony charges of second-degree aggravated indecent assault against Constand, Cosby will be put in prison for more than 10 years.
