Iconic entertainer Bill Cosby was convicted on three counts of sexual assault Thursday, a decision that punctuates one of the most thundering falls from grace in American cultural history. Two women who have accused Cosby of sexual assault but did not testify at the trial burst out in loud sobs from their seats in one of the back rows of the cramped and tension-filed courtroom. Cosby was charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault in December 2015 — just before a statute of limitations was set to expire. Mesereau leaned heavily on testimony about a lawsuit against Cosby that Constand settled for nearly $3.4 million in 2006 after a previous district attorney declined to prosecute Cosby. Prosecutors also called a sexual assault expert to testify about common “rape myths,” such as the inaccurate belief that victims report their crimes quickly and cut off contact with their attackers.

Source: Washington Post April 26, 2018 17:56 UTC