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Bill Cosby sexual assault trial: Defence for star produces single witness before resting Bill Cosby sexual assault trial: Defence for star produces single witness before resting
(about 5 hours later)
Lawyers for legendary comedian Bill Cosby have presented only one witness in the sexual assault trial against him. The defence presented by Bill Cosby’s legal team in the legendary comedian’s long-awaited sexual assault trial lasted all of six minutes, and produced a single witness.
After watching 12 witnesses testify for the prosecution, Mr Cosby's lawyers presented a short defence and quickly rested their arguments. Mr Cosby did not take the stand.  Their closing statements, however, lasted two hours.
The aging comedian – formerly known as "America's Dad" – is on trial for allegedly sexually assaulting an employee of his alma mater in 2004. The woman, Andrea Constand, has accused Mr Cosby of drugging and molesting her after a private dinner at his Pennsylvania home.  In a sprawling statement to a Pennsylvania courtroom, attorney Brian McMonagle presented his best case for the innocence of “America’s Dad,” painting his client as honest, his accuser as inconsistent, and the media as complicit.
Mr Cosby has pleaded not guilty.  "This is not a civil case about money, money, money,” Mr McMonagle told the jury. “We're talking about all the man's tomorrows.”
At the start of this week's proceedings, the defence called Detective Richard Schaffer to the stand. The detective – who testified during the prosecution's case the week prior – had lead the 2005 investigation into Ms Constand's allegations.  Mr Cosby, who has been charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault, could spend the rest of his life in jail if found guilty.
Lawyers questioned Mr Schaffer for approximately six minutes, then rested their defence. The charges stem from a controversial incident in 2004, in which both Mr Cosby and his accuser agree they engaged in sexual contact. In Mr Cosby’s eyes, his defence has claimed, the encounter was consensual. His accuser, Andrea Constand, says it was assault.
Ms Constant testified last week that she had attended a private dinner at Mr Cosby’s home, where he gave her pills that made her slur her speech, see double, and feel “frozen”. She says he then helped her to his couch and molested her.
In his closing remarks, Mr McMonagle focused primarily on poking holes in Ms Constand's story. He pointed out inconsistencies in her statements to police over the years, and highlighted the dozens of phone calls she made to the comedian in the months after the alleged assault.
"This isn't talking to a trustee,” Mr McMonagle said, referring to Mr Cosby’s role as trustee at the university where Ms Constand was employed. “This is talking to a lover.”
It was the last of several attempts by the defence to paint Mr Cosby and Ms Constand’s relationship as romantic, and their encounters as consensual. Lawyers had previously detailed instances in which Ms Constand visited the entertainer’s hotel room alone, and attended “dimly lit” dinners at his home.
Ms Constand claims she saw the entertainer as a “mentor” and “somewhat of an older figure”.
At one point, in a rare moment of self-awareness for the trial, Mr McMonagle addressed the larger context of the allegations: More than 50 women have accused Mr Cosby of sexual assault in recent years, setting off a firestorm of media coverage and essentially destroying the comedian’s family-friendly image.
Some of the accusers sat in on the closing arguments that day.
“You know why we’re here; let’s be real. Right?” Mr McMongale said at one point, gesturing to the area where the accusers, the press, and curious members of the public sat.
“We’re not here because of Andrea Constand,” he told the jury. “That was over in 2005. We’re here because of this nonsense. We’re here because of them.”
Mr Cosby did not testify at his trial. Instead, the defence called a single witness: Detective Richard Schaffer, who lead the 2005 investigation into Ms Constand's allegations.
Lawyers questioned Mr Schaffer for approximately six minutes, then rested their defence.
Judge Steven O'Neill denied the defence's request to bring forward a second witness, a woman who had worked with Ms Constand at Mr Cosby's alma mater.Judge Steven O'Neill denied the defence's request to bring forward a second witness, a woman who had worked with Ms Constand at Mr Cosby's alma mater.
Ms Constand, her mother, and another of Mr Cosby's accusers all took the stand last week to testify for the prosecution. Lawyers for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania argued Mr Cosby had cultivated a relationship with the younger woman for months, and had used drugs and alcohol to render her "frozen" and unable to consent on the night of the alleged assault.
In cross-examinations, lawyers for Mr Cosby attempted to poke holes in Ms Constand's story, highlighting inconsistencies in her statements to police over the years. Mr Cosby has admitted to having sexual contact with Ms Constand, but maintains all encounters were consensual. 
Mr Cosby's long-expected decision not to testify means his only statements in the trial come from a previously sealed deposition. The deposition was taken for a lawsuit filed by Ms Constand in 2005, after detectives unexpectedly closed her sexual assault case.Mr Cosby's long-expected decision not to testify means his only statements in the trial come from a previously sealed deposition. The deposition was taken for a lawsuit filed by Ms Constand in 2005, after detectives unexpectedly closed her sexual assault case.
The prosecution presented excerpts from the deposition last week, including segments in which Mr Cosby admitted to engaging with Ms Constand in "the area that is somewhere between permission and rejection.”The prosecution presented excerpts from the deposition last week, including segments in which Mr Cosby admitted to engaging with Ms Constand in "the area that is somewhere between permission and rejection.”
“She did not stop me. And I wanted to go," Mr Cosby told detectives at the time.“She did not stop me. And I wanted to go," Mr Cosby told detectives at the time.
More than 50 women have publicly accused Mr Cosby of sexual assault over the course of his five-decade career. Only Ms Constand has been able to secure a trial, as the statute of limitations has expired in many of the accusers' cases.
The jury will now move to deliberations.The jury will now move to deliberations.