NORRISTOWN, PA — Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison for aggravated indecent assault on Tuesday, bringing a powerful conclusion to a case that marks the first major conviction in an age of reckoning against powerful men accused of sexual crimes.
Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee and acquaintance of Cosby, is just one of dozens of women to accuse the man once known as “America’s Dad” of sexual crimes. But she was the first to bring the comedian to a criminal trial. And as the statute of limitations has expired for many of Cosby’s other accusers, the sentencing marks some small shred of justice for all the women who will never see their day in court.
Constand wrote a five page letter to Judge Steven T. O’Neill prior to Tuesday’s hearing , outlining how Cosby’s crimes, committed upon her when she was just 30, changed the course of her life.
“Bill Cosby took my beautiful, healthy young spirit and crushed it,” Constand wrote in the letter, published by the District Attorney’s Office in court Tuesday. “He robbed me of my health and vitality, my open nature, and my trust in myself and others.”
Cosby was also sentenced to a $25,000 fine and the cost of the prosecution, meaning Montgomery County will be reimbursed after footing the $219,000 bill of his retrial.
Cosby’s lawyers attempted to gain bail for Cosby while they appealed the sentence, but Judge O’Neill swiftly rejected the request, the DA’s Office said. Cosby was taken to Montgomery County Correctional Facility directly from the courthouse in Norristown. From there, he was transferred to state prison in the late afternoon.
“Justice arrived today,” DA Kevin Steele said in a press conference following the sentencing. “Bill Cosby has been unmasked.”
Many of Cosby’s former accusers filled the courtroom on Tuesday to hear the comedian’s fate.
“May justice be served,” Lili Bernard, another woman who has accused Cosby, wrote on Twitter.
Several were prepared to read victim impact statements on Tuesday, before Judge O’Neill ruled that Cosby’s other accusers who have not brought him to trial would not be allowed to read in court.
“The rape shattered my ability to rust,” wrote Cosby accuser Janice Dickinson, in a statement shared on social media by lawyer Lisa Bloom. “It made me extremely wary of becoming an actress. It affected my work. It affected my lifestyle…I will never be the same.”
None of Cosby’s family was present with him in court as the sentence was read, according to reports from inside the courtroom.
A few hours before his sentencing on Tuesday, Bill Cosby was ruled a sexually violent predator by Judge O’Neill, the Associated Press confirmed.
A state board previously recommended that Cosby be given the designation, but the final determination was left up to the court on Tuesday. Cosby is now required to report himself to police wherever he goes for the rest of his life. He must also undergo lifetime counseling.
The sentencing Tuesday followed a day full of hearings on Monday. Cosby faced a maximum of 10 years in prison after the charges against him were merged on Monday.
It’s been a long and torturous road for Constand, and for many of the other women who have accused Cosby. The assault happened in 2004. A civil trial commenced in 2005, and the DA at the time refused to prosecute. It was not until 2015, after more and more of Cosby’s accusers came forward, that the case was finally reopened.
Following a hung jury and a mistrial in 2017, Cosby was convicted this past April of all three counts of aggravated indecent assault.
“This sentence acknowledges the experiences of the dozens of women abused by Cosby and sends a clear message that sexual harassment, misconduct and abuse cannot and will not be tolerated even years after the event,” said Kristen Houser, with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. “The sentence handed-down bears particular significance today in the midst of our current national dialogue. We hope there is a renewed sense of purpose for the women who have bravely come forward and faced the shame, blame, and harassment all too commonly faced by survivors. Your experiences matter.”
Cosby had originally faced up to 10 years in prison for each of the three counts, or 30 years in total.
The charges were merged by Judge Steven T. O’Neill because they were connected to the same event, CNN reports. State guidelines recommend anywhere from 22 to 36 months in prison for the charge, but Judge O’Neill was not constricted by those parameters.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele had asked for five to ten years in prison, while Cosby’s attorney asked for house arrest, according to courtroom sources, including MontcoCourtNews and Inquirer reporter Jeremy Roebuck.
“We ask this (five to ten years) because of who he is behind the mask, behind the act that he perpetuated for all the years,” Steele said, according to sources.
The defense had hoped that Cosby’s ultimate sentence would be heavily influenced by both his age and his health, which his lawyers have consistently presented as deteriorating over the past three years.
Catch up on the Cosby case with Patch’s coverage below:
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