Just two months ago, it was reported that Bill Cosby had been denied parole by the Pennsylvania Parole Board after consistently failing to attend and participate in a treatment program for sex offenders. Many, including OJ Simpson, criticized Cosby and his legal team for not meeting the necessary requirements to be granted parole, but now, it appears that Cosby and his legal team were focused on much bigger things.
On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has shockingly overturned Bill Cosby's sexual assault conviction, and several news outlets have reported that the disgraced comedian is expected to be released from prison in a matter of hours. According to the Associated Press, the court reportedly overturned Bill Cosby’s sex assault conviction after discovering an agreement with a previous prosecutor that prevented Cosby from being charged in the case.
AP reports that the prosecution unethically used newly unsealed evidence when he was charged in late 2015. Apparently, the evidence came from Cosby’s damaging deposition from Andrea Constand's civil lawsuit that was filed in 2005, and Cosby was arrested days before the 12-year statute of limitations expired. As a result, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court found that Cosby's trial was tainted, and it ultimately settled upon the decision to overturn his conviction.
When expressing its opinion, the court said, "When an unconditional charging decision is made publicly and with the intent to induce action and reliance by the defendant, and when the defendant does so to his detriment (and in some instances upon the advice of counsel), denying the defendant the benefit of that decision is an affront to fundamental fairness, particularly when it results in a criminal prosecution that was foregone for more than a decade."
Bill Cosby, now 83 years old, has remained in prison for two years following his conviction in 2018, and according to NBC News, the world-famous comedian is set to be released from prison.
This story being developed, so stay tuned for updates.
[via]
