MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

Bill Cosby freed from jail after sexual assault conviction is overturned: 'He got away with it'

Bill Cosby was the first celebrity tried and convicted during the time of #MeToo campaign

Bill Cosby is released from prison after his conviction was overturned due to an "unfair trial" on Wednesday, June 30. Reportedly, Cosby's publicist, Andrew Wyatt will be picking the actor up from prison within hours. He was convicted in 2018 for a number of sex offenses. He served more than two years of a three to 10-year sentence at a state prison near Philadelphia.

Cosby, 83, was convicted of drugging and molesting a Temple University employee at his suburban estate. The actor had vowed to serve all 10 years instead of acknowledging any remorse over the 2004 encounter with accuser Andrea Constand. Cosby was charged in 2015 when a prosecutor with new evidence, managed to get him arrested days before the 12-year statute of limitations expired. The trial judge had initially allowed just one other accuser to testify at Cosby’s first trial. Later, he allowed five other accusers to testify at the retrial about their experiences with Cosby in the 1980s. Cosby was the first celebrity tried and convicted during the time of #MeToo campaign.

RELATED ARTICLES

Bill Cosby retrial: Dramatic testimony from accuser stuns court

Bill Cosby: Why is Internet supporting 'feeble' sexual predator? Here's why his smiling mugshot went viral

Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned Cosby’s sex assault conviction after finding that an agreement with a previous prosecutor prevented him from being charged in the case. The court said that District Attorney Kevin Steele, who made the decision to arrest Cosby, had to stand by his predecessor’s decision not to charge Cosby when he later gave incriminating testimony in Constand’s civil suit. Also, there was no evidence that the promise was put in writing ever. Justice David Wecht said that Cosby had relied on the former prosecutor’s decision not to charge him when he later gave potentially incriminating testimony in the Constand’s civil suit. According to the court, overturning the conviction, and barring any further prosecution, "is the only remedy that comports with society’s reasonable expectations of its elected prosecutors and our criminal justice system."

When Cosby heard of the news, he reportedly said "wow". According to ABC, Cosby's attorney informed that his client responded with "wow" and "unbelievable" when he was told he would be released from prison.

'Absolute blow to #MeToo movement'

People flocked to Twitter with angry reactions to the news and condemned Cosby's release from prison. One user tweeted, "Morale of the story: if you want to get away with sex crimes, either be rich or claim you have a special relationship with God." Another wrote, "Wow. What an absolute blow to the #MeToo movement with the release of Bill Cosby. The man has been accused by 50 (!) women of sexual assault. I don’t see much room for doubt about what kind of man he is." One user commented, "Bill Cosby got away with it. He got away with potentially sexually assaulting on the order of 60 women. If that doesn't cause SOMEBODY to CHANGE SOME GODDAMN LAWS I cannot think of what will."

One tweet read, "Convicted rapist Bill Cosby got released. Anyone who wonders why women don’t come forward should STFU. For ever." Another said, "BILL COSBY IS NOT INNOCENT. HE HAS NOT BEEN EXONERATED. His release means that Cosby, a sexual predator, was incarcerated within a criminal legal system that has as little regard for its own rules and procedures as Cosby does for his victims." Another tweet read, "I never wanna hear "well did you report it?" again. 60 women accused Bill Cosby, and even with 60 accusers we took years to convict, and now he's going free anyway. there are no consequences for rape and rapists know that. so let's be real: rape is fully legal in this country."