Bill Cosby continues to maintain his innocence in a new statement released to the public shortly afterthe comedian’s release from prison. On Wednesday, it was decided by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that Cosby did not have a proper trial, and the result was for his conviction to be completely overturned. Hours later, Cosby was back at his home where he’ll be spending the night in a warm bed with his days in prison now behind him.
Bill Cosbyhas since released a statement that once again reiterates his innocence while thanking his supporters for standing by him. The statement was released on theGhost Dadstar’s social media channels, featuring an image of Cosby holding his fist in the air in celebration of his prison release. Here’s what he wrote in the included caption:
“I havenever changed my stancenor my story. I have always maintained my innocence. Thank you to all my fans, supporters and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law.”
One big supporter who’s stuck with Cosby throughout this entire ordeal has been Phylicia Rashad, who played Cosby’s wife for years on bothThe Cosby ShowandCosby. Over the years,Rashad has voiced her supportfor Cosby, even though it’s gotten her some flak from others on social media. After the news was announced that Cosby was getting out of the big house, Mrs. Huxtable herself posted a message of celebration on her own Instagram page.
“FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted - a miscarriage of justice is corrected!” the actress wrote.
In 2017, Cosby was on trial for thesexual assaultof Andrea Constand in 2004 when the jury deadlocked. During that trial, only one other accuser was allowed to testify. At his retrial in 2018, the judge allowed five other accusers to testify, and Cosby was later found guilty for the crime and sentenced to serve 3-10 years in prison. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that this testimony was tainted and could be viewed as an attack on Cosby’s character.
Cosby’s lawyers also referred to testimony from Cosby’s civil deposition from Constand’s 2005 civil suit against him. At the time, the judge had entered into a binding agreement with Cosby that hewouldn’t be charged criminallyif he provided the deposition. Allowing the testimony from that deposition into the new trial was a violation of the agreement, which was another factor that swayed the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision towards releasing Cosby.
“The collective weight of these considerations led D.A. Castor to conclude that, unless Cosby confessed, there was insufficient credible and admissible evidence upon which any charge against Mr. Cosby related to the Constand incident could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” the decision from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court read.
What happens next for Cosby isn’t entirely clear, but it’s possible the prosecutors will appeal the court’s decision or attempt to try Cosby for a third time. For now, Cosby is a free man, and he’s no doubt celebrating his freedom tonight. This news comes to us fromBill Cosby on Twitter.
