American comedian Bill Cosby has been set free by Pennsylvania’s highest court today after nearly three years in prison following a decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacating his 2018 conviction on three charges of aggravated indecent assault.
On Wednesday June 30, Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned Bill Cosby’s sex assault conviction after finding an agreement with a previous prosecutor prevented him from being charged in the case.
The ruling bars any retrial in the case, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Charges were filed against Cosby, who was once celebrated as “America’s Dad,” in late 2015 — just days before the 12-year statute of limitations expired. He was convicted in 2018 at his second trial, after a first trial ended in a hung jury.
He had refused to offer any remorse over the encounter with the Temple University employee, vowing instead to serve all 10 years of the sentence.
READ ALSO: American comedian Bill Cosby denied parole in his s3x assault case
The American comedian and actor have long maintained his innocence in the case, which stems from an accusation that he drugged and had sex with a Temple University employee in 2004.
He was charged in late 2015 when a prosecutor armed with newly unsealed evidence Cosby’s damaging deposition from her lawsuit arrested him days before the 12-year statute of limitations expired.
Prosecutors had earlier said that Cosby repeatedly used his fame and “family man” persona to manipulate young women, holding himself out as a mentor before betraying them.
Cosby, a groundbreaking Black actor who grew up in public housing in Philadelphia, made a fortune estimated at $400 million during his 50 years in the entertainment industry.
