While the DA noted that the actor was free on a procedural issue, Cosby maintained his innocence on social media on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Bill Cosby was released from prison after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his indecent assault conviction. Cosby had been accused of drugging and molesting Andrea Constand, a former employee of Temple University, at his estate in 2004. He was charged in 2015 for the alleged attack and subsequently arrested just days before the 12-year statute of limitations was set to expire. Cosby had maintained that his contact with Constand had been consensual. The Keystone State’s highest court has tossed the comedian’s conviction due to an agreement Cosby had with a prior prosecutor, and which would have prevented Cosby from being criminally charged in the case. The ruling further barred any retrial. The 83-year-old actor/comedian was two years into a three-to-10 year prison sentence. “[Cosby] was found guilty by a jury and now goes free on a procedural issue that is irrelevant to the facts of the crime,” District Attorney Kevin Steele said in a statement Wednesday. “My hope is that this decision will not dampen the reporting of sexual assaults by victims.” Overturned Not Exonerated While the DA noted that the actor was free on a procedural issue, Cosby maintained his innocence on social media on Wednesday. “I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence. Thank you to all my fans, supporters and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law. #BillCosby,” Bill Cosby posted on Twitter from his @BillCosby account.
