Bill Cosby arrived at the courthouse for his second trial on Monday morning, but the drama began to unfold long before anyone entered the courtroom. A small group of protesters greeted Cosby as he exited his vehicle, chanting support for his alleged victim Andrea Constand.
One unidentified woman, naked from the waist up, vaulted over a barricade and charged at Cosby as he walked toward the courthouse. She had the words “women’s lives matter” painted on her otherwise bare chest.
The topless protester jumped over a barricade to run in front of Bill Cosby, but she did not make contact with the comedian. https://t.co/eAmJYTrlXq pic.twitter.com/4gdwrkrT9D
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) April 9, 2018
Crazy scene as naked protester is taken down by police as #Cosby arrives at court in Norristown. pic.twitter.com/mduaASyjG3
— Steve Lindsay CBS (@SteveLindsayCBS) April 9, 2018
Cosby was not injured in the commotion, however, as police were able to intercept the woman before she got close enough to make contact.
NORRISTOWN, PA – APRIL 9: Bill Cosby (L) arrives as a topless protestor wearing body paint is arrested by police officers at the Montgomery County Courthouse for the first day of his sexual assault retrial on April 9, 2018 in Norristown, Pennsylvania. A former Temple University employee alleges that the entertainer drugged and molested her in 2004 at his home in suburban Philadelphia. More than 40 women have accused the 80 year old entertainer of sexual assault. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)
Cosby’s first trial ended in a hung jury, but prosecutors are hoping that the addition of five more alleged victims to the witness list might show a pattern of behavior. Cosby is also bringing a much more aggressive defense to the table, and his attorney is expected to attack Constand as a “greedy liar.”
The #metoo movement has also cast a shadow on the case, complicating the efforts to find a fair and impartial jury. Nearly all of the jurors were aware of #metoo, and several were challenged after saying they were unsure as to whether they could separate Cosby’s case from what they knew about the widespread movement.