Bill Cosby Trial, Day 6 — Defense’s Case Lasts All of 6 Minutes?
Both sides in the Bill Cosby sexual assault trial returned to the courtroom on Monday. With the prosecution having finished presenting their case on Friday (June 9), it was now the defense's turn.
Cosby did not take the stand, which his spokesperson had stated was a possibility. Instead, the defense called a police detective who had already testified (for the prosecution) back to the stand, and that was the only witness they called. Last week, prosecutors called 12 witnesses over the course of five days.
Cosby's lead lawyer, Brian McMonagle, questioned Sergeant Richard Schaffer for a mere six minutes about a file he had created in 2005 called "Questions for Andrea," in reference to Andrea Constand, who has accused Cosby of sexually assaulting her in 2004.
Prosecutors last week had Schaffer read segments of a deposition Cosby gave to police in 2005 in which he discussed details of what he says happened between him and Constand on the night in question.
Once his brief questioning of Schaffer concluded, the defense rested its case. McMonagle then began his closing argument to jurors, which could be summed up as, "Sure, Bill Cosby is a serial cheater, but he's not a rapist." The defense has claimed that Cosby and Constand were in a consensual romantic relationship, while the prosecution has argued that Cosby gave Constand a powerful sedative that rendered her unable to resist his advances.
McMonagle attacked Constand's credibility, saying she repeatedly changed her story after waiting a year to contact police after the alleged incident. "Ms. Constand was untruthful time and time and time again," he told jurors.
Following McMonagle, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele gave his closing statement. In it, he leaned heavily on Cosby's own words as given to police in various depositions. For example, Cosby admitted to having bought quaaludes and given them to young women in order to have sex with them -- exactly what Constand says Cosby did to her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, he has told you what he has done," Steele said. "It is about as straightforward as you are ever going to see in a sex-crimes case."
The trial now goes to the jury, who will decide on Cosby's guilt or innocence. If convicted, Cosby faces up to 10 years in prison for each of three counts of aggravated indecent assault.
Today was also notable as the first time Cosby's wife, Camille, joined him at the courthouse. She was conspicuously absent last week, as Cosby was escorted by various fellow on-screen co-stars from his Hollywood days.
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