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U.S. NEWS Saturday 10 June 2017

Prosecutors rest their case at Bill Cosby’s trial

By MARYCLAIRE DALE from his “Fat Albert” TV
MICHAEL R. SISAK show. He then waved from
Associated Press the back of an SUV.The
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — comedian gave the de-
Prosecutors wrapped up position as part of a law-
their case against Bill Cos- suit filed by Constand and
by on Friday, saving until later settled for an undis-
practically the very end closed sum. His testimony
the comedian’s damag- was sealed for years until
ing, decade-old testimony portions were released by
about giving quaaludes to a judge in 2015 at the re-
women he wanted to have quest of The Associated
sex with. Press.
The prosecution called 12 The release of the sensa-
witnesses over five brisk tional testimony spurred
days of testimony in the Pennsylvania prosecutors
sexual assault case that to reopen their investiga-
could send the 79-year-old tion and arrest Cosby a
TV star to prison for the rest decade after the district
of his life. The defense will attorney who originally
begin presenting its side on investigated Constand’s
Monday. complaint decided the
Testifying under oath in case was too weak to
2005, Cosby said he ob- Bill Cosby walks from the Montgomery County Courthouse during his sexual assault trial in Nor- bring charges.
tained several prescrip- ristown, Pa. Prosecutors wrapped up their case against Bill Cosby on Friday, saving until practi- For the jury, the deposi-
tions for quaaludes in the cally the very end the comedian’s damaging, decade-old testimony about giving quaaludes to tion could be the clos-
1970s and offered the now- women he wanted to have sex with. est it comes to hearing
banned sedatives to oth- (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) from Cosby himself, since
ers, “the same as a person tablets of the cold and timony until the end for wooziness and other ef- he said recently that he
would say, ‘Have a drink,’” allergy medicine Benad- maximum effect. Defense fects Constand described did not intend to take the
according to the deposi- ryl. Prosecutors have sug- lawyer Brian McMonagle, could have been caused stand.
tion read to the jury. gested he gave her some- clearly wanting to move by Benadryl or quaaludes. In his testimony, Cosby said
“When you got the quaalu- thing stronger — perhaps past Cosby’s talk about Cosby smiled as he walked he apologized to Con-
des, was it in your mind quaaludes, a highly popu- giving drugs to women, out of court at the end of stand’s mother over the
that you were going to use lar party drug in the 1970s asked no questions about it the day, raising his wooden telephone for the sexual
these quaaludes for young that was banned in the U.S. on cross-examination. cane to salute well-wishers encounter with her daugh-
women that you wanted to in 1982. The final prosecution wit- who yelled, “We love you, ter because he was afraid
have sex with?” the comic Prosecutors evidently ness, toxicologist Dr. Timo- Bill Cosby!” and “Hey, hey, she thought of him as “a
once known as America’s saved the quaalude tes- thy Rohrig, testified that hey!,” the catchphrase dirty old man.” q
Dad was asked.
“Yes,” he said. Lawyer: Oakland fire wrongly blamed on suspect
Cosby is on trial on charg-
es he drugged and sexu-
ally violated former Temple
University women’s basket- By PAUL ELIAS including utility officials and the flames. They say fire- comment.
ball team employee An- Associated Press firefighters. fighters should have in- At a news conference Fri-
drea Costand, now 44, at SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The attorneys said an elec- stead cut a hole into a wall. day, attorney Tony Serra
his suburban Philadelphia Lawyers for the operator trical line was too small to “There could have been also said suspect Derick Al-
home in 2004. He has said of an Oakland warehouse supply the warehouse and more survivors,” attorney mena has suffered a near
it was consensual. where a fire killed 36 peo- that firefighters erred by Jeffrey Krasnoff said. mental breakdown since
In the deposition, which ple blamed a host of po- punching a hole in the roof Karen Boyd, a spokeswom- the fire. “It has created a
became public nearly two tential culprits Friday for the of the structure shortly after an for the city of Oakland, sadness ... an almost total
years ago, Cosby said he nation’s deadliest structure arriving that drew air into did not immediately return destruction of his mental
gave Constand three half- blaze in more than 14 years, the building and fanned a telephone call seeking stability,” Serra said.q