Bill Cosby Released from Prison as Court Overturns Conviction

Bill Cosby has been released from the state prison after serving two years as Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction of sexual assault.

Actor and comedian Bill Cosby, popularly known for The Cosby Show and Fat Albert, was released from Pennsylvania state prison after serving two years there. Cosby was convicted in 2018 after being found guilty of molesting an ex-basketball player in 2004 and was to serve a 3-10-year sentence in state prison.

The court overturned Cosby’s conviction on Wednesday, June 30 citing “prosecutorial mistakes.” An excerpt from the court ruling states:

“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… For these reasons, Cosby’s convictions and judgment of sentence are vacated, and he is discharged.”

The court further barred any retrials regarding this case. Cosby, 83, is known to be the first celebrity to have been tried and convicted as a result of the #MeToo movement.

Source: Bloomberg