Prosecutors to judge: Let Cosby accusers testify

Associated Press

NORRISTOWN, PA.

Bill Cosby used his fame to gain the trust of women before knocking them out with pills and drinks so he could sexually assault them, prosecutors argued Tuesday as they sought to persuade a judge to allow 13 of his accusers to testify in his upcoming sexual assault trial.

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele told a judge he wants the accusers’ testimony to show Cosby had a lengthy history of drugging and molesting young women.

“The defendant has engaged, over the course of decades, in a signature pattern of nonconsensual sexual assaults on young women who were in an unconscious state due to an intoxicant that the defendant administered to them,” Steele argued.

Cosby, 79, has been married for decades and is charged with sexually assaulting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

His lawyers want the accusers barred from taking the stand at his spring trial. The defense is expected to attack the women’s credibility and relevance when his lawyers make their arguments today.

The judge ultimately ruled Cosby’s lawyers could identify 11 of the women by name since they’d already told their stories publicly. He said two of the women have remained out of the spotlight and shouldn’t be identified in court.