American comedian, Bill Cosby has arrived home from prison on Wednesday after his conviction on sexual assault charges was overturned by Pennsylvania’s highest court.
The 83-year-old Cosby walked out of the State Correctional Institution Phoenix in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Wednesday afternoon, officials told ABC News.
Cosby’s publicist, Andrew Wyatt, told the publication earlier on Wednesday that he was going to pick up the comedian at the prison.
Cosby was freed as a result of what the court ruled was a violation of his rights in his criminal trial.
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In its ruling, Pennsylvania Supreme Court said a “non-prosecution agreement” agreement with a previous prosecutor prevented Cosby from facing charges. With the ruling, the judges wrote that “Cosby’s convictions and judgment of sentence are vacated, and he is discharged.”
In 2018, Cosby was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his Pennsylvania estate in 2004, leading to a sentence of three to ten years in prison.
Back in 2005, then Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor determined the case against Cosby was unwinnable, leading to an agreement that Cosby would not be charged—but he would be deposed for a civil suit brought by Constand.
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He had only just served a little less than two years of his sentence before the latest ruling.
The Supreme Court ruled that allowing the accusers’ testimony was inappropriate, finding it served as more of a character attack than affirming a pattern of criminal behaviour.
Before the accusations surfaced, Cosby had a public image as a wholesome comedian and was often referred to as “America’s Dad.”
His 1984–92 television series, The Cosby Show, was considered a landmark in television as the first highly popular show to depict a stable and successful Black family.
Cosby also created the beloved character “Fat Albert” from his years as a comic and launched an animated series aimed at preschoolers called Little Bill in 1999. His shows were largely pulled from television after the sexual assault allegations became public.
Watch a video of him arriving home below;
VIDEO: Bill Cosby returns home after his release from prison pic.twitter.com/eQuoMnZeLR
— Jim Harrington (@jejharrington) June 30, 2021
