The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has surprisingly decided to overturn Bill Cosby’s conviction, according to TMZ, nearly three years after the comedian-actor was sentenced to three to 10 years for the alleged drugging and sexual assault of Andrea Constand 14 years prior. The 83-year-old is now set to be released from prison and allowed to return home.
Both Cosby’s sentence and conviction were vacated, allowing him to become a free man soon again. In a shocking set of events that even Cosby’s own family members didn’t see coming, the supreme justices ruled that it was “unduly prejudicial” to allow 5 additional accusers to testify at Constand’s trial, which likely influenced the court.
Bill Cosby Conviction Thrown Out and He Will Go Free https://t.co/r0ZsQhA5nF
— TMZ (@TMZ) June 30, 2021
TMZ reported that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court also decided to overturn Cosby’s conviction due to an agreement he and former district attorney Bruce Castor made. Reportedly, the agreement included a deal that allowed him to testify in a civil deposition, not a criminal trial.
His statements from the deposition were later brought up in his 2018 trial, which allegedly included Cosby making an “incriminating statement” about drugging women, according to TMZ.
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Sister 2 Sister reported last month that the Fat Albert actor was denied parole after allegedly refusing a sex offender therapy program. The Pennsylvania Parole Board also cited Cosby’s negative recommendation from correction officers and a lack of a parole release plan as deciding factors.
According to TMZ, he also cannot be retried in this case. Andrew Wyatt, a Cosby family spokesperson, told the gossip news site that he’s en route to Collegeville, Pennsylvania’s State Correctional Institution – Phoenix to pick him up and excited about the news, saying, “It’s a great day.”
