Legendary comedian Bill Cosby was found guilty Thursday on three counts of aggravated sexual assault that stemmed from an encounter with a former Temple University employee nearly 15 years ago.
A Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, jury convicted Cosby of drugging and assaulting Andrea Constand at his Philadelphia-area home in 2004 after more than a day of deliberations and after having Cosby’s deposition testimony read back to them.
Cosby, 80, who was released on $1 million bail pending sentencing, faces up to 30 years in prison.
District Attorney Kevin Steele asked Judge Steven T. O’Neill to remand Cosby, citing his “enormous wealth and means.”
O’Neill refused, noting that Cosby doesn’t have a plane and hasn’t missed a courtroom date.
Cosby yelled out, “he doesn’t have a plane, you —hole. I’m sick of this.”
He did not react to the verdict even as each of the 12 members of the jury were polled individually.
The Black Press was not invited to a post-trial press conference held by prosecutors, whose spokeswoman Kate Delano cozied up regularly throughout the trial with members of mainstream media.
Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt said he was disappointed by the verdict.
His attorneys said they plan to appeal, citing what they said were numerous improper rulings by O’Neill and a juror who was kept on the panel despite allegedly saying before the trial, “he’s guilty, we can all go home.”
Cosby initially went to trial in June, but that jury, brought in from Allegheny County, was deadlocked after 52 hours of deliberations, leading to the judge declaring a mistrial.
Since 2014, more than 50 women have claimed Cosby sexually assaulted them. However, many of those claims stem from decades-old encounters, and some of the women who have filed lawsuits against him have had their cases tossed out.