The Pennsylvania Supreme court has ordered Bill Cosby’s release from prison and overturned his sexual assault conviction, it was reported Wednesday.
“Court overturns Bill Cosby’s sex assault conviction, bars further prosecution,” AP reporter James LaPorta tweeted. (RELATED: Bill Cosby Time Behind Bars Dramatically Cut After Deal Made Following Guilty Verdict)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Court overturns Bill Cosby’s sex assault conviction, bars further prosecution.
— James LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) June 30, 2021
“BREAKING: PA Supreme Court overturns Bill Cosby’s conviction. Orders his release,” reporter Jeremy Roebuck tweeted. (RELATED: Jury Finds Bill Cosby Guilty In Sexual Assault Retrial)
BREAKING: PA Supreme Court overturns Bill Cosby’s conviction. Orders his release.https://t.co/eQat6K1nhD pic.twitter.com/BFhcm92MX5
— Jeremy Roebuck (@jeremyrroebuck) June 30, 2021
Bill Cosby arrives home following his release from prison after his conviction on sexual assault charges was vacated by Pennsylvania’s highest court. https://t.co/3UB4XzGJts pic.twitter.com/QFzdyf5B8Z
— ABC News (@ABC) June 30, 2021
Pennsylvania’s highest court ruled that District Attorney Kevin Steele was obligated by a promise made by his predecessor not to prosecute “The Cosby Show” actor, Yahoo reported. (RELATED: Bill Cosby’s Career Achievement Award Gets Revoked)
Justice David Wecht said Cosby had relied on that “decade old” decision when he later gave potentially “incriminating statements” in the Constand’s civil suit and didn’t invoke the Fifth Amendment for that reason, the court documents read.
It found that overturning and barring further prosecution was “the only remedy that comports with society’s reasonable expectations of its elected prosecutors and our criminal justice system.”
“In light of the extent and duration of Cosby’s reliance, induced as intended by then-District Attorney Castor, no other remedy will do,” the court document added. “Anything less under these circumstances would permit the Commonwealth to extract incriminating evidence from a defendant who relies upon the elected prosecutor’s words, actions, and intent, and then use that evidence against that defendant with impunity.”
A jury previously found the 83-year-old former actor guilty on three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his home in Philadelphia in 2004, according to CNN.
He has served more than 2 years of a 3 to 10-year sentence, NBC Philadelphia reported.
The former comedian was up for parole in May but refused to participate in a sex offender program, the outlet noted. He had previously vowed to serve all 10 years rather than admit any wrong doing.
