The cross-examination of Andrea Constand, the central accuser in the sexual assault case that could send Bill Cosby to prison, was promised as as a slugfest not to be missed.
Constand also admitted she initially gave Canadian and Pennsylvania detectives the wrong date for when the alleged sexual assault occurred, saying it occurred in March and not January. Constand is the first to actually confront him in court.
Cosby was not charged with any crimes at the time of Constand's original allegations, but he did settle a civil suit with her out of court in 2006. The defense may be able to use that admission to suggest that Constand was aware Cosby was interested in her romantically and therefore went to his home knowing that she might have a sexual encounter.
Despite the defense's efforts to discredit Constand as being complicit in having a consensual sexual relationship with Cosby, the prosecution ultimately connected a few important dots between Constand, a former Temple University director of women's basketball operations, and Cosby, a former member of the board of trustees of the school where she worked.
"I don't know what that means", Constand said. "I realized I was mistaken".
Jurors are expected to get the case next week.
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are sexual assault victims unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.
"He was talking about it nearly like he was... trying to make me believe it was consensual, that it was okay by her", Constand testified in Montgomery County Court.
Constand has accused Cosby of giving her pills and violating her sexually while she was unconscious at his home, the basis of three charges of indecent aggravated assault.
Defense lawyer Angela Agrusa homed in on successive statements that Constand gave to law enforcement in January and February 2005 - a year after the alleged assaut - as the 79-year-old disgraced megastar sat in court looking away from his accuser.
Get Ready for a Whole New iOS 11 App Store
In general terms, the iOS 11 was more of an update for iPad with a number of features that will come handy for the iPad users. This is helped by the A10X processor itself, which Apple claims is 30 percent faster at raw compute performance than the A9X.
Gianna Constand told the jury that she was distraught to learn what Cosby had done to her daughter.
Gianna Constand, who followed her daughter to the stand, sounded alarmed at the thought Andrea had been drugged, and angry that they still don't know what type of pills Cosby gave her. Andrea Constand said the pills left her paralyzed and unable to stop Cosby from penetrating her with his finger and putting her hand on his genitals.
All were made from Constand's Temple-issued cellphone.
After returning to her room, Constand said she called Sherri Williams. They're your friends. They'll take the edge off, ' " she said on the stand. Why she kept contacting Cosby after the encounter? Late in the day, prosecutors called Constand's mother to bolster her daughter's account.
In a more than three-hour-long cross examination on Wednesday, Cosby's legal team attempted to cast doubt on Ms Constand's version of events. "It was very, very frequent that she would scream in her sleep or wake up in a sweat".
At one point, with her daughter also on the line, she said, Cosby described the incident.
"No, ma'am, I did not", replied Constand, wearing a white blazer over a blue cardigan.
What the jury made, however, of Constand's apparent unflappability remains an open question.
Constand has testified about how her professional relationship with the Temple University trustee evolved into a friendship. Moments later, Cosby traipsed through the hallway with his defense team.
Comments