Following his release from prison on Wednesday, Bill Cosby took to social media to thank his supporters as well as Pennsylvania’s supreme court, which overturned his 2018 sexual assault conviction.
The 83-year-old actor and comedian, who has since returned to his home since his release, shared a statement on Twitter, saying;
I have never changed my stance nor 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.
The message was accompanied by an archival photo of Cosby raising his fist in triumph.
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I have never changed my stance nor 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. #BillCosby pic.twitter.com/bxELvJWDe5— Bill Cosby (@BillCosby) June 30, 2021
Cosby served nearly three years of a 10-year sentence in prison after a former Temple University employee, Andrea Constand testified in a criminal case that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by the actor at at his Pennsylvania home in 2004.
Costand and five other women’s testimony helped convince jurors to convict Cosby on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in 2018.
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Cosby’s defense denied the accusations, as well as similar allegations made against him outside the courtroom by more than 60 women.
While Cosby indeed maintained his innocence over the years, Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s reversal stems from a due process-related technicality.
Back in 2005, then-Montgomery County district attorney, Bruce Castor declined to prosecute Cosby in a criminal case because he didn’t believe he had enough evidence to get a conviction.
In that deposition, Cosby admitted that he gave quaaludes (sedative and hypnotic medication) to women with whom he wanted to have sex, and also admitted to numerous extramarital affairs.
Castor’s successor Kevin Steele, however, brought criminal charges against Cosby in 2015, arresting him days before the statute of limitations expired.
Steele used Cosby’s admission in the deposition against him in the criminal trial.
However, in its judgment, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that the decision to use Cosby’s statements from his deposition against him deprived him of his Fifth Amendment rights.
US Fifth Amendment states;
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
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Cosby, the court stated, had been subject to “an unconstitutional ‘coercive bait-and-switch,'” which the court characterized as a “due process violation.”
The comedian, known as America’s dad was among the first and highest-profile celebrities to face criminal charges in the wake of the #MeToo movement, in which survivors of sexual harassment and assault spoke up about their experiences and made public accusations against their alleged offenders.
His release has sparked mixed reactions from all corners. While some celebrated his release, others expressed anger, demanding justice for his alleged victims.
