In the last few years, dozens of women have come forward to accuse Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct. He has lost television deals, honorary college degrees and his reputation as “America’s Dad.”
But whether he spends a single day in prison will depend on how a dozen jurors answer this question: What exactly happened between Mr. Cosby, now 80, and Andrea Constand, now 45, in his home near Philadelphia more than 14 years ago?
Was it a sexual assault facilitated by the use of drugs, as Ms. Constand and the prosecution contend? Or was it a consensual encounter between a famous entertainer and a woman who would later make false accusations to win a huge payment, as Mr. Cosby’s defense team claims?
Mr. Cosby’s first trial ended in a hung jury last June. As the jury in his retrial begins deliberations on Wednesday in Norristown, Pa., here is a guide to how the case unfolded:
November 2002
Ms. Constand, who works for the Temple University women’s basketball team, meets Mr. Cosby, a Temple alumnus and supporter, at one of the team’s games in Philadelphia.
January 2004
The month that Ms. Constand said Mr. Cosby assaulted her at his home after giving her wine and three pills that left her “frozen.” Besides the issue of whether the encounter was consensual, Mr. Cosby’s team has questioned whether it occurred earlier than Ms. Constand described, which could place the episode too far outside the statute of limitations for Mr. Cosby to be held criminally liable.
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January 2005
Ms. Constand, who has left Temple and moved back home to Toronto, tells her mother that Mr. Cosby assaulted her about a year earlier. They call him and contact the Canadian police. Three days later, Mr. Cosby returns the call, apologizes, declines to identify the pills, but suggests the sex was consensual.
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Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/25/arts/television/bill-cosby-sexual-assault-allegations-timeline.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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