Bill Cosby released from prison

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,065]

PA supreme court threw out previous ruling

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/06/30/us/bill-cosby-to-be-released/index.html

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

I'm disappointed, but not surprised, as my head must have spun around several times when I heard that he'd basically admitted the stuff in testimony for someone else's lawsuit in return for immunity of prosecution on those charges, then somehow, after the fact, some other DA decided they didn't care about the deal that had been struck.  The way I look at it, at least now everybody knows and at least he served SOME "hard" time versus none at all for what he did (and admitted to in court--something that folks trying to deny it happened or protect him seem to gloss right over).

[Tenjikuronin | 1,771]

Clair Huxtable weighs in....

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

Oh, she chimes in right after to say "I fully support survivors of sexual assault coming forward. My post was in no way intended to be insensitive to their truth. Personally, I know from friends and family that such abuse has lifelong residual effects. My heartfelt wish is for healing."

Hypocrite much?

[phart010 | 1,710]

14 minutes ago, Tenjikuronin said:

Clair Huxtable weighs in....

Did she send that just before he went in or just before he got out?

[Tenjikuronin | 1,771]

3 minutes ago, phart010 said:

Did she send that just before he went in or just before he got out?

It's from yesterday

[The Count | 546]

Yuck. Lawyers are so gross.

[phart010 | 1,710]

He hasn’t confessed so we don’t really know for certain what happened. That would be the strongest form of evidence. I feel bad for victims of rape, but at the same time, he is a high profile guy and it’s not uncommon for opportunistic people to pile in once they hear that there are rape allegations made against a high profile individual. 
 

Not saying that is what happened here. Or that didn’t happen. All I’m saying is that we really don’t know. Now if he were to make a confession, that would make things real easy. Then we would know for sure. 

[SailorScoutMandy | 782]

My understanding if that the DA said they wouldn't go after him so the lady could sue him, but the DA went after him anyway (plus the DA fucked something else up). This is why it got overturned. I hope she drags his ass in court. 

[TDIRunner | 2,794]

It seems like pretty much everyone is in agreement that he is getting off on a technicality as opposed to being innocent.  Obviously his side won't say that openly, but you sort of get the feeling from them.

This is the way I looked at it when it was still in trial.  The odds that some of the women are lying are pretty high.   In fact, it's almost a guarantee that some of them are lying to get the attention or possibly money.  However, the odds that ALL of them are lying are pretty small.  In fact, it's almost impossible that they could ALL be lying.  The important thing is that only one of them needs to be telling the truth in order for it to be a big deal.  

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

1 hour ago, phart010 said:

He hasn’t confessed so we don’t really know for certain what happened. That would be the strongest form of evidence. I feel bad for victims of rape, but at the same time, he is a high profile guy and it’s not uncommon for opportunistic people to pile in once they hear that there are rape allegations made against a high profile individual. 
 

Not saying that is what happened here. Or that didn’t happen. All I’m saying is that we really don’t know. Now if he were to make a confession, that would make things real easy. Then we would know for sure. 

Yes, yes he did, just not to the specific assault that he was temporarily convicted of, and not in any way where he accepts any sort of accountability or responsibility for his behavior.  Do you not even know why he was let loose?  In exchange for testimony approximately 10 years before he was prosecuted this time around, he gave a deposition detailing the tactics that he used to "seduce" young women, including giving them powerful sedatives in order to get them to "cooperate."  As we all know, using any sort of roofie on someone you're trying to sleep with basically constitutes rape should you go through with the act.

Cosby somehow managed to negotiate a deal where he'd provide that damning testimony in return for not being able to prosecuted for what he'd done.  The DA in the most recent case put that fact aside when they went after him, which isn't legal, causing him to be released with no possibility of being retried for the crime due to double jeopardy.  Tons and tons of women have come forward to say what did and didn't happen in multiple encounters with this man, and as they say, where there's smoke, there's fire.  Why didn't he get prosecuted for most of the rest of the witnesses' encounters?  Statute of limitations combined with the fact that in most cases, people simply didn't believe the women at the time or declared that they were all willing and going after him for some sort of revenge.

As much as I've enjoyed Cosby's comedy and shows that he was previously involved in, I can't help but hope that this has put an end to his career.  Here's a pretty good breakdown and timeline of everything that went on relative to the latest trial/conviction, up to and including him being released due to being tried and convicted when they legally weren't able to do so.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,021]

2 hours ago, darkchylde28 said:

Cosby somehow managed to negotiate a deal where he'd provide that damning testimony in return for not being able to prosecuted for what he'd done

It's bc you can't plead the 5th of the prosecutor says you won't be prosecuted for anything you say, which is why he said what he said. The prosecution negotiated the deal.

I'm not saying he shouldn't be in jail for the crimes he committed. The lawyers are the ones that went for a smear campaign instead of a prison sentence. 

[Californication | 1,490]

The U.S. Court system is broken af.

 

[Kguillemette | 1,561]

While the three years he served and his forever tarnished reputation are better than nothing for the punishment of his heinous crimes; it's further proof that if you can afford enough legal help, you can avoid justice in a way the rest of us simply can't.

May he take his enormous wealth and fuck off for the rest of his life.

 

[phart010 | 1,710]

4 hours ago, darkchylde28 said:

As much as I've enjoyed Cosby's comedy and shows that he was previously involved in, I can't help but hope that this has put an end to his career.  Here's a pretty good breakdown and timeline of everything that went on relative to the latest trial/conviction, up to and including him being released due to being tried and convicted when they legally weren't able to do so.

Ok thanks for sharing that article. Until now, I hadn’t seen all the facts laid out like this before. I’m not a Cosby fan by any means, never really watched the show.. but whenever I see criminal charges, I instinctually always try to see if there is any way to absolve guilt. After all, we presume innocence until guilt is proven. 

According to this he actually admitted to giving women sedatives before sexual encounters. That sounds pretty damning.. based on that detail alone, I am almost certain he is guilty. That said though, “almost certain” isn’t the standard that criminal judgments should be made on. And even though I think it’s very likely he did it, the objective part of my mind can still think of a few questions that could be asked that would cast doubt on a guilty verdict. The gold standard will always be for the guilty party to surrender the fight and offer a confession.

What I find interesting is that this “non-prosecution agreement” was an oral agreement.. meaning it was not put in writing… who does that? Usually for an agreement to be binding, it has to be in writing so that others can review the terms that were agreed to.

The problem with this “oral agreement” that supposedly happened is that it could very well have not even happened. The prosecutor could have just come to an agreement with the Cosby’s after the fact and then said ok, I’ll tell them that we actually agreed to not prosecute this.

Edited July 2, 2021 by phart010

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

1 hour ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

It's bc you can't plead the 5th of the prosecutor says you won't be prosecuted for anything you say, which is why he said what he said. The prosecution negotiated the deal.

I'm not saying he shouldn't be in jail for the crimes he committed. The lawyers are the ones that went for a smear campaign instead of a prison sentence. 

Oh, he should absolutely be in jail for the stuff he's done.  However, thanks to the wheeling and dealing going on within our legal system, he already had a get out of jail free card and legally shouldn't have been prosecuted when he was.  I imagine all the lawyers, even his, were just laughing all the way to the bank.

2 minutes ago, phart010 said:

Ok thanks for sharing that article.until now, I hadn’t seen all the facts laid out like this before. I’m not a Cosby fan by any means, never really watched the show.. but whenever I see criminal charges, I instinctually always try to see if there is any way to absolve guilt. After all, we presume innocence until guilt is proven. 

According to this he actually admitted to giving women sedatives before sexual encounters. That sounds pretty damning.. based on that detail alone, I am almost certain he is guilty. That said though, “almost certain” isn’t the standard that criminal judgments should be made on. And even though I think it’s very likely he did it, the objective part of my mind can still think of a few questions that could be asked that would cast doubt on a guilty verdict. The gold standard will always be for the guilty party to surrender the fight and offer a confession.

What I find interesting is that this “non-prosecution agreement” was an oral agreement.. meaning it was not put in writing… who does that? Usually for an agreement to be binding, it has to be in writing so that others can review the terms that were agreed to.

The problem with this “oral agreement” that supposedly happened is that it could very well have not even happened. The prosecutor could have just come to an agreement after the fact and then said ok, I’ll tell them that we actually agreed to this.

"Almost certain" more or less is the standard that criminal cases are judged on.  "Beyond a reasonable doubt."  Well, seeing as DOZENS of women have come forward across multiple decades, all with more or less the same story...yeah, I'd say at the very least (statistically speaking, without hard evidence), one of those women is 100% on the ball about having that done to them.  Personally, I'd probably believe most, if not all, but since you brought up the "almost certainty" angle, please, tell me how likely it is that all of the dozens of accusers, many of which have filed police reports but were rejected due to not being believed at the time, are all liars?  Most crimes that actually go to trial lack an absolute confession (hence why they're clogging up the courts in the first place).  The thing is, Cosby basically confessed to doing this type of thing to women for years, he just didn't name specific people or events, acted like it wasn't any big deal, and had an agreement in place with the authorities that he wouldn't be prosecuted for what he was about to admit.  That's as close to a confession anyone is most likely ever going to get out of the man, and I'd say it shores up all of the accusations against him nicely, to the point where if they were tried individually, he'd be up the creek forever.

You see, the first time he was tried, they had a hung jury, as only one accuser was allowed to testify.  However, when the retrial took place, five women were allowed to testify, all with pretty much the same sort of story, one which chillingly matched Cosby's damning deposition from a decade prior.  So it went from he-said she-said to, "Holy shit, this guy casually laid out end to end how he does what he does, and here are a sampling of his victims."  Outside of arguing for the sake of arguing (because no one can be absolutely certain about anything, really, right?), I don't understand how anyone could ever look at this guy again and see anything but an unrepentant, mostly unpunished, serial rapist.

As for agreements with prosecutors, verbal and/or handshake agreements happen all the time without paperwork being drawn up.  Unlike some parts of the world, the US court system has shown time and time again that verbal/handshake agreements are considered legally binding.  The only time that you're liable to get out of one is if there are/were absolutely no other witnesses to said agreement and no other evidence to indicate that any such agreement ever took place.  In Cosby's case, more than just he and the prosecutor were present when the offer was made, hence it being able to be proved as well as being legally set in stone.

[phart010 | 1,710]

2 hours ago, darkchylde28 said:

Oh, he should absolutely be in jail for the stuff he's done.  However, thanks to the wheeling and dealing going on within our legal system, he already had a get out of jail free card and legally shouldn't have been prosecuted when he was.  I imagine all the lawyers, even his, were just laughing all the way to the bank.

"Almost certain" more or less is the standard that criminal cases are judged on.  "Beyond a reasonable doubt."  Well, seeing as DOZENS of women have come forward across multiple decades, all with more or less the same story...yeah, I'd say at the very least (statistically speaking, without hard evidence), one of those women is 100% on the ball about having that done to them.  Personally, I'd probably believe most, if not all, but since you brought up the "almost certainty" angle, please, tell me how likely it is that all of the dozens of accusers, many of which have filed police reports but were rejected due to not being believed at the time, are all liars?  Most crimes that actually go to trial lack an absolute confession (hence why they're clogging up the courts in the first place).  The thing is, Cosby basically confessed to doing this type of thing to women for years, he just didn't name specific people or events, acted like it wasn't any big deal, and had an agreement in place with the authorities that he wouldn't be prosecuted for what he was about to admit.  That's as close to a confession anyone is most likely ever going to get out of the man, and I'd say it shores up all of the accusations against him nicely, to the point where if they were tried individually, he'd be up the creek forever.

You see, the first time he was tried, they had a hung jury, as only one accuser was allowed to testify.  However, when the retrial took place, five women were allowed to testify, all with pretty much the same sort of story, one which chillingly matched Cosby's damning deposition from a decade prior.  So it went from he-said she-said to, "Holy shit, this guy casually laid out end to end how he does what he does, and here are a sampling of his victims."  Outside of arguing for the sake of arguing (because no one can be absolutely certain about anything, really, right?), I don't understand how anyone could ever look at this guy again and see anything but an unrepentant, mostly unpunished, serial rapist.

As for agreements with prosecutors, verbal and/or handshake agreements happen all the time without paperwork being drawn up.  Unlike some parts of the world, the US court system has shown time and time again that verbal/handshake agreements are considered legally binding.  The only time that you're liable to get out of one is if there are/were absolutely no other witnesses to said agreement and no other evidence to indicate that any such agreement ever took place.  In Cosby's case, more than just he and the prosecutor were present when the offer was made, hence it being able to be proved as well as being legally set in stone.

Just as a disclaimer, I’m a moderately conservative religious person, so by my thinking people shouldn’t be using drugs or having consensual sex unless they’re married. Just putting that out there as I am suspending my own personal moral framework in this thread and going by societal standards and US law. 
 

I think about consensual relations like a guy and a girl go to a bar have some alcoholic drinks together and then they go back home together.. is that considered consensual? Or similarly, guy and girl at a party both thinking about doing it consensually but they hit the bong first just to calm their nerves. Well, Bill Cosby being a multi millionaire has access to much fancier things than alcohol and weed.

Here’s the thing, even if it was consensual at the time, what happens if the girl regrets it after the fact.. she could come up with story about how it was not consensual, whether it’s Bill Cosby or some kids at a party. Also, it’s difficult to depend on someone’s recollection of what happened when they are describing things that happened while they were under the influence of drugs.

In Bill Cosby’s case, being a celebrity, he had access to never ending line of fans and associates that wanted to be around him so yea he could have pulled off the same routine with dozens of ladies. It’s doesn’t matter how many of them came forward and said this happened to me too.. what matters is whether it was consensual at the time that it happened (And no, I’m not saying did she consent after taking the drug- that’s obviously rape… but did she consent to actually taking the drug knowing what it would lead to next). I don’t know what happened, but this is certainly something to consider.

I think about incidents like Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton. Could that have been a consensual thing in the moment? I don’t know. But he didn’t have to drug her or manipulate her.. she simply wasn’t able to resist his dominance as he was the most powerful figure in the world at the time. This Lewinsky case is really grey because it poses a lot of questions.. 

-was she implicitly coerced by his position of authority?

-could she have consented then regretted?

-is it even possible for her to have consented, and if so is that still considered wrong just because he’s the President?

Stuff to think about.. all that said, I think Cosby is definitely responsible for getting himself into this mess. Don’t know if I would give a guilty verdict for the charges without a confession though.

 

Edited July 2, 2021 by phart010

[phart010 | 1,710]

1 hour ago, darkchylde28 said:

The thing is, Cosby basically confessed to doing this type of thing to women for years, he just didn't name specific people or events, acted like it wasn't any big deal, and had an agreement in place with the authorities that he wouldn't be prosecuted for what he was about to admit. 

When he confessed to doing this type of thing, did he say that he offered them the drug or did he say that he tricked them into taking it?

That would be the key detail that changes it from consent into rape

[Tenjikuronin | 1,771]

On a side note, I'm surprised that Bill's Qualuudes buddy Hugh Hefner hasn't been dragged yet.  I recognize that he is deceased, but he was the pioneer of using "leg openers" (his words, not mine) on women and should be receiving fire for it. 

Edited July 2, 2021 by Tenjikuronin

[Californication | 1,490]

4 hours ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

It's bc you can't plead the 5th of the prosecutor says you won't be prosecuted for anything you say, which is why he said what he said. The prosecution negotiated the deal.

I'm not saying he shouldn't be in jail for the crimes he committed. The lawyers are the ones that went for a smear campaign instead of a prison sentence. 

At the end of the day, it shouldn't be possible for a serial rapist to not be held accountable. 

Whether this person or that person made a mistak is irrelevant, he shouldn't be free period. The system is set up for people with money to get out.

[Estil | 1,267]

When my grandma told me about this I half jokingly wondered if he cited cruel and unusual punishment because the prison didn't have his Jello pudding!  

And unpopluar opnion time: I think absoultely no less of the Cosby Show or Fat Albert.  The shows =/= to whatever the star's personal life was like.  And you know there were others on the Cosby Show besides Cos himself after all...

[Dr. Morbis | 2,096]

3 hours ago, phart010 said:

When he confessed to doing this type of thing, did he say that he offered them the drug or did he say that he tricked them into taking it?

This is the key point for me; can anyone answer this?

[Californication | 1,490]

Why is that the key point? There are like 60 women that say he raped them. You think all of them are lying?

Edited July 2, 2021 by Californication

[CodysGameRoom | 2,009]

Gotta love this board sometimes. People giving a serial rapist the benefit of the doubt. Jesus christ. 

[phart010 | 1,710]

56 minutes ago, CodysGameRoom said:

Gotta love this board sometimes. People giving a serial rapist the benefit of the doubt. Jesus christ. 

Gives you all a reason to come back and see what’s new 

If he is a rapist, then he is a despicable man and deserves no benefit. 

Edited July 2, 2021 by phart010