Bill Cosby Found Guilty
Bill Cosby has been found guilty on three counts of sexual assault. While not overly surprising, to millions who grew up with the family friendly comedian’s public persona, it is still an astonishing fall from grace.
NBC:
Bill Cosby, who once embodied the idealized American father on a wildly popular sitcom, was convicted of sexual assault on Thursday in a high-stakes retrial after a half-dozen women testified that the famed comedian drugged and assaulted them.
The jury found Cosby guilty on all three counts of Thursday afternoon, drawing an emotional reaction from his accusers. Cosby remains free on bail until sentencing.
Upon reading of the first guilty verdict several of Cosby’s alleged prior victims sobbed and shook with joy. Cosby’s head was bent slightly, eyes shut.Bill Cosby, who once embodied the idealized American father on a wildly popular sitcom, was convicted of sexual assault on Thursday in a high-stakes retrial after a half-dozen women testified that the famed comedian drugged and assaulted them.The jury found Cosby guilty on all three counts of Thursday afternoon, drawing an emotional reaction from his accusers. Cosby remains free on bail until sentencing.
Upon reading of the first guilty verdict several of Cosby’s alleged prior victims sobbed and shook with joy. Cosby’s head was bent slightly, eyes shut.Cosby lashed out at the prosecution when discussing whether to revoke his bail.
Prosecutor Kevin Steele said Cosby had a plane and noted his wealth in giving concerns over his bail.“He doesn’t have a plane you asshole! I’m sick of it you asshole!” he exclaimed.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor argued with the judge.Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge Steven O’Neill said because of Cosby’s “age and his medical condition, I am not going to simply lock him up.” Cosby has to surrender his passport and must remain in his nearby home, the judge said.
There will be much more to come, and some legal analysts are already talking about appeals due to aspects of the case; but for now the first major conviction since the #MeToo movement has fallen on the man once considered America’s father figure, and now convicted sexual abuser.
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I say, “good.”
And tbh, I have no idea why they wouldn’t send him to minsec (plenty of old sick men get sent to jail every day who aren’t famous and rich so I guess I have SOME idea)…
But my hope for such things is fairly focused on making sure people are warned against charismatic people who seem safe, seem trustworthy, and very much aren’t, so I don’t really care so much what the sentence ends up being.Report
As with a lot of these stories, the disturbing aspect is the “everyone knew for years” part that only seems to be know to everyone once the predatory is safely at arms link or no longer of use to certain people. Got a quick post up so didn’t include it, but Cosby’s behavior in court does not lead to contrition at all, rather the opposite; someone who still thinks they should get away with it all. I doubt this story is done.Report
@andrew-donaldson Yeah, I think Jaybird wrote a post a few months ago about “open secrets” – we’ve definitely discussed it here many times before in different contexts …
I’ve never seen a show of contrition from a serial sexual abuser that I *truly* believed meant it would never happen again, so I would have assumed this isn’t over either way.
But there are many many women who wouldn’t have known about him before this happened, who do now.
To me, that is worthwhile, and I don’t care so much about the justice side of things (mostly because the justice system is fished enough, especially when it comes to rich/important people, that it’s hard to even know what to hope for there).Report
I have all daughters so believe me the topic is discussed, and these cases highlighted.Report
For them what care, there’s this comment thread here.Report
It’s worth linking back to Kristen Devine’s essay about Bill Cosby from November of last year.
Dennis Sanders wrote one back in 2015 that is also worth re-reading.Report
Those were good essays.Report
Time for Weinstein.Report
Provided he’s guilty. By that I mean, I’ve read a good’ish amount on the internet and heard a little on TV and everything so far seems to point to him being guilty of some pretty bad things.
And yet, reading “a good’ish amount” and hearing “a little” isn’t much. Others (perhaps including you) have read and heard more and investigated more fully, and if they come to an informed conclusion that he’s guilty of a crime or tortious behavior, then yes, time for Weinstein.
But I personally don’t know enough right now to say that definitively. Maybe I should. Or regardless of whether I should or not, I probably could. At the same time, however, there are so many people accused of so many bad things in this world, it’s hard to take the time to make an informed assessment of their guilt. And eventually, some people are going to be accused of things they aren’t guilty of.
That probably sounds like I’m defending Weinstein. That’s not my intention. It also probably sounds like I’m placing myself above whatever it is that bothers me about your comment. I can’t honestly do that, as there are many, many instances where I assume guilt on another person’s part with much, much less evidence than I’ve already encountered for what Weinstein is alleged to have done.
I also realize it’s easy for me to write this kind of comment when I haven’t really been victimized much, and certainly not in the way Weinstein, et al. is alleged to have done.
ETA: This is a driveby comment, as I have to leave for work soon. However, I’ll make a point to read any responses later.
ETA #2: The first “ETA” appeared in the middle of my comment. I’m editing now to add that I’ve changed the placement.Report
@gabriel-conroy If you don’t believe he is, you should probably read more, rather than object to the comments of those that have read lots. I mean, I don’t mind you objecting, it’s good for us to talk things over, but I know your level of self-questioning and it seems to me you would prefer, in this instance, to read more than to object, had you more information. There is, of course, a chance that Weinstein is not guilty, as there is for anyone (even those convicted of crimes; cf the many people rescued from death row over the years).
In general, the rush to justice (which often leads to injustice) makes me uncomfortable, and it’s possible that’s what bothered you about Jaybird’s comment.
But the sheer volume of plausible already-existing testimony against Weinstein both for what he’s alleged to have done and for why his victims are alleged to have not pressed charges before this (not just career ruin, but fear of physical retaliation due to watching him throw his weight around) is overwhelming. It’s not pleasant to read, but it’s very thoroughly documented by sources who (more often than not) put their own names on their stories.
At this point, he has multiple charges pressed against him, and prosecutors in LA and NY have been taking months to decide whether to prosecute: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-lapd-nypd-weinstein-20180320-story.html. NYPD is pressuring the attorneys to do so, they’ve said they would have arrested him by now if he was in New York. I gotta say, I think prosecutorial caution has a lot to do with “can we win a case against this guy? if we lose will it do more harm than good?” and not with “is this really a valid case?” (I could take a more cynical view, particularly given the connections involved, that the attorneys themselves are afraid of retaliation, but I don’t. In this particular case. Right now at least.)
At any rate, maybe read Jaybird’s comment more as “hurry up and get off the pot, prosecutors” and less as “now we need a mob.” (I realize you didn’t say that – but that’s what twinged me about his phrasing – which has more to do with my own projection and my efforts to combat that feeling in myself, than anything he said – I just knew he didn’t mean it that way.)Report
I admit I read the comment as potentially both, and my own comment was about the second, even though I didn’t come right out and say it.
Thanks for your comment, and I certainly had better heed the admonition to read (or learn) more before I object.Report
And Trump. At least a thorough investigation; prosecution is legally tricky.Report