Camille Cosby, wife of comedian Bill Cosby for more than 50 years, is not only standing by her man, but she’s speaking out.
In the wake of several new reports by the Black Press and her ongoing disagreement with Judge Steven T. O’Neill, Cosby again is calling for the dismissal of charges against her husband.
This time, Cosby, a D.C.-area native, said the people’s fundamental right to a fair trial requires that judges be independent, fair, impartial, and competent.
Those requirements are encapsulated in the very code of conduct that this judge was to follow, she said.
“That code requires that the judge ‘act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary,’ including by disclosing information that might reasonably call into question the judge’s ability to act impartially,” she said. “Judge O’Neill completely ignored his duty of disclosure. He has had this case since 2016, and has had every opportunity to disclose his animus towards [former District Attorney] Bruce Castor, who was a critical witness in this case.”
Castor served as the original prosecutor on the case and declared that Cosby accuser Andrea Constand was “not credible.” He decided not to bring charges against the comedic icon and instead made a verbal agreement with Cosby to have the star waive his First Amendment rights and sit for a civil deposition — one that Castor promised would never be used against him in a criminal trial.
However, O’Neill and current District Attorney Kevin Steele ignored Castor’s agreement with Cosby and the deposition was used to convict Cosby of three counts of aggravated indecent assault.
One juror told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the deposition was the reason for the panel’s decision to convict.
In a series of emails to the Black Press earlier this year, Castor lashed out at the decision to prosecute Cosby.
“What is happening to Cosby, as bad a man as he undoubtedly is, should never happen to anyone in America,” Castor said. “I’m 36 years in the justice system, much of it at a pretty high level and I’m disgusted that any citizen entitled to the presumption of innocence has been treated this way.”
Cosby is scheduled for sentencing over two days beginning Monday, Sept. 24.
In her statement, Camille Cosby cited recently uncovered facts as the reason O’Neill should recuse himself from the proceedings.
Cosby defense attorneys have interviewed a number of witnesses who have confirmed that O’Neill has been embroiled in a longstanding feud with Castor, Camille Cosby said.
That feud stems from a political campaign between the two men, which ultimately damaged O’Neill’s professional reputation, she said.
“We have learned that, during the campaign, Castor became aware of a romantic relationship Judge O’Neill had previously had with one of the deputy district attorneys on Castor’s staff while separated from his wife,” Camille Cosby said, referring to Castor’s assertion of events. “Castor used that relationship to his advantage, requiring the woman to publicly support Castor at a political debate between him and Judge O’Neill.”
“As Castor had planned, the woman’s show of support for Castor affected Judge O’Neill and hurt his performance. Judge O’Neill lost the election shortly thereafter,” she said, referring to the 1999 GOP election between O’Neill and Castor.
Sources have reported that this event humiliated O’Neill, as did the fact that people in the community had learned of his relationship with the female deputy district attorney, she continued, adding that the witnesses interviewed by the defense attorneys also confirmed that O’Neill learned of Castor’s order and confronted him about it, leading to a longstanding feud between the two men.
Instead of disclosing his feud with Castor, O’Neill proceeded to hear testimony from Castor during a hearing on Bill Cosby’s motion to dismiss the case.
Castor testified at length regarding his decision not to prosecute Cosby for the accusations made by Constand.
Castor stated specifically that he had made statements as the district attorney “binding” the Commonwealth not to prosecute Cosby for those accusations.
Castor testified that he had made the binding decision not to prosecute Cosby because Constand’s “own actions” had “ruined her credibility as a viable witness.”
Castor explained that these actions included “the multiple inconsistencies” in her story “after she went to the police and gave statements.”
He also testified that he had concluded that Constand “would not be believed by a jury” and that there was not sufficient credible evidence “upon which any conviction could be sustained beyond a reasonable doubt.”
During the hearing, O’Neill actually took over the direct examination of Castor, questioning him at some length before issuing a ruling that rejected Castor’s sworn testimony and wrongfully allowed the case to proceed against her husband, Cosby said.
“There is no way to view the judge’s conduct in this case as being consistent with the constitutional right to a fair trial,” she said. “At a minimum, Judge O’Neill should have disclosed his feud with Mr. Castor before questioning Mr. Castor directly. Judge O’Neill must fully disclose the facts of that feud now. There is no other way to correct the injustice that has been done.”
