By: Adeeb Bayat | Writer
September 28th, 2018
On Tuesday, September 25th, formerly beloved TV star Bill Cosby was sentenced three to ten years in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, a woman introduced to him by a mutual friend, in 2004. Cosby had been described as immediately having a love interest in Constand when he met her, and she said that he would constantly invite her over to get closer with her. Months passed where Cosby continued to try to have romantic relations with her. One night, Constand went over to “discuss business,” when Cosby gave her what she thought was herbal medicine, but what instead was pills meant to incapacitate her. Constand said that she couldn’t move her body and became a victim to Cosby that night.
During the trial, Cosby attempted to claim that all the sexual acts that took place that night were consensual. Constand’s mother responded on podium by recalling Cosby calling her on the phone, a year after the incident, to apologize for the acts he had committed. After extensive recounting of the incident by Cosby and Constand, the jury decided Cosby was responsible for the crimes he was accused of.
“I used to like Bill Cosby, but if he did commit those crimes he deserves to go to jail,” senior Koosha Jadbabaei said.
Cosby was found guilty of three charges of aggravated indecent assault; however over the course of the last five decades, over 60 women have come out to say that Cosby sexually assaulted them. Beginning in 1965 and continuing until 2015, many women came out to accuse Cosby of sexual assault but none of them were taken seriously. Prior to the recent rise in support of victims of sexual assault, no one believed that such a charismatic comedian could be capable of such atrocities. In December of 2015 charges were officially filed against Cosby who vehemently denied them at the time. Finally, after years of mistrial and elongated court processes, Cosby was found guilty on all three counts on April 26, 2018.
Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neill gave Cosby a relatively long sentence compared to other sentences for similar crimes. Cosby was the first Celebrity to be struck down by the #MeToo movement and is seen as an example that sexual assault will no longer go unpunished no matter how powerful someone is.
When asked, all students interviewed agree that Cosby deserved to go to prison and that his conviction is a good thing for the country.
“I’m glad that the truth came out and Bill Cosby finally got his punishment” senior Liam Guilfoil said.
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