Bill Cosby’s defense team in the high profile Cosby assault trial has officially rested their case, marking the end of official hearings from prosecutors and defense.
Cosby’s team made their final statements before the Judge Steven O’Neil today, opening the floor to closing arguments expected to take place tomorrow. Judge O’Neil informed jurors that they had been provided with all the evidence in the case.
Cosby has opted not to testify before a jury, instead leaving his innocence up to his extensive legal team, including Tom Mesereau, who represented Michael Jackson in his 2005 child abuse case.
Today’s case marks the end of weeks of hearings in what is now Cosby’s second trial, his first last summer ending in a hung jury. The defense has insisted that Cosby acted with consent when he had sexual relations with former Temple employee Andrea Constand. Constand, however, along with several other accusers, claim that Cosby drugged and assaulted them.
Defense attorney’s have sought to create a narrative that Constand and other accusers are con artists seeking to rip Cosby off. Cosby had previously paid Constand over 3 million dollars in a previous civil suit, and critics now argue that she wants more.
The defense’s claims were slightly undermined Wednesday, however, as a key witness admitted that she and a Cosby attorney had “created it together.”
Cosby is charged with 3 counts of aggravated and indecent assault and faces a potential 10 years in prison for each charge if found guilty.
Closing arguments are expected in the next few days, and jury deliberations will likely wrap up in the following weeks.
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