Bill Cosby, one of the world’s best-known entertainers, was found guilty on Thursday of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman 14 years ago.
The jury convicted Mr. Cosby of three counts of aggravated indecent assault against Andrea Constand, at the time a Temple University employee he had mentored.
During the trial, Ms. Constand became something of a proxy for other women, more than 50, who have accused Mr. Cosby of similar sexual misconduct. In the last few years, he has lost television deals, honorary college degrees and his reputation as “America’s Dad.” Now with the guilty verdict, he is facing possible prison time, up to 10 years, though the sentences could be served concurrently.
Mr. Cosby’s first trial ended in a hung jury last June. Here is how his retrial in Norristown, Pa., unfolded and ended with a conviction:
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.
Andrea Constand in December 2015. That month, Mr. Cosby was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting her. Credit Marta Iwanek/The Canadian Press, via Associated PressThe 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.
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.
The Montgomery County district attorney at the time, Bruce L. Castor Jr., decides not to charge Mr. Cosby, citing “insufficient credible and admissible evidence.”
Three of the women who accused Mr. Cosby of sexual abuse, with the attorney Gloria Allred, right, in 2016. Kelly Johnson, second from right, testified last year at Mr. Cosby’s first trial. Credit Kevork Djansezian/Getty ImagesMs. Constand sues Mr. Cosby. Eventually a dozen women will agree to present testimony of similar behavior on his part.
In deposition testimony, Mr. Cosby admits to obtaining quaaludes to give to young women for sex. Ms. Constand’s suit is later settled, and both sign a nondisclosure agreement. The deposition and settlement amount are not made public at that point.
During a comedy routine, Hannibal Buress refers to Mr. Cosby as a rapist. A video of the moment goes viral, prompting many other women to come forward with accusations.
Janice Dickinson in 2016. She testified this month that Mr. Cosby sexually assaulted her in 1982 after giving her a pill in a Lake Tahoe hotel room. Credit Nick Ut/Associated PressA judge releases parts of Mr. Cosby’s deposition in the 2005 civil case. The criminal investigation is later reopened and detectives visit Toronto to interview Ms. Constand.
Montgomery County voters elect Kevin R. Steele as district attorney. He had criticized the 2005 decision not to prosecute Mr. Cosby.
Kevin R. Steele, the Montgomery County district attorney who is prosecuting Mr. Cosby. Credit Lucas Jackson/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesMr. Cosby is arrested on charges of aggravated indecent assault. Based on the timing described by Ms. Constand, the charges come just before the expiration of the 12-year statute of limitations for the charge.
Mr. Cosby leaving his arraignment hearing in December 2015. Credit Bryan Anselm for The New York TimesMr. Cosby’s first trial ends in a mistrial after jurors remain deadlocked following six days of deliberations.
The retrial begins. For the first time, the amount of Mr. Cosby’s settlement with Ms. Constand is revealed: $3.38 million. And this time, the judge allows five women to testify that Mr. Cosby assaulted them in ways similar to how Ms. Constand says she was attacked. In the first trial, only one other woman was permitted to take the stand.
Mr. Cosby has a new witness, too: a Temple employee who said Ms. Constand once told her she could make money by falsely accusing a prominent person.
A jury found Mr. Cosby guilty on three counts of assaulting Ms. Constand: penetration with lack of consent, penetration while unconscious and penetration after administering an intoxicant. These are felonies, each punishable by up to 10 years in state prison, though the sentences could be served concurrently.