On June 5, 2017, 79-year-old entertainer, Bill Cosby, will get his day in court. He is being charged with three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault in connection to a 2004 case involving Andrea Constand. If convicted, each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and it would mean a long downward spiral for the once popular actor and comedian.
Almost 50 women have come forward to accuse Bill Cosby of sexually abusing them in the mid-1960s and to 2008. The first accuser to break her silence was Kristina Ruehli. She claims that in 1965, Cosby sexually abused her when she was a 22-year-old secretary at a talent agency. The second is Carla Ferrigno, an actress who alleges that the actor tried to sexually assault her in 1967. Since then, Pandora's box has opened wide and many more have come forward to accuse the actor and comedian of wrong-doing. Unfortunately, for most of the women and perhaps fortunately for Cosby, the statute of limitations had run out on all the charges except for Andrea Constand's claim for which he will stand trial in June of this year.
The once popular actor and comedian made it big on the TV series, "I Spy," and went on to become a household name when he took on the role of Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable in, "The Cosby Show." It drew more than 60 million viewers catapulting him to fame, fortune and the stratosphere of success and a tremedous following. The sitcom father could do no wrong and I was one of his fans.
Little did he know at the time that the fall from the epitomy of success would be a hard one and the sins and excesses of his past would soon catch up with him in a way he didn't expect. Most of his accusers were models, some were Playboy bunnies, a doughnut shop worker and one self-proclaimed supermodel, Ms. Janice Dickenson. Mr. Cosby finds himself mired in a sea of accusations from which it is hard to escape. Lines have been drawn and the sides have been chosen and even though the actor and comedian has denied all charges and recently added that whatever took place during his meetings with the women was consensual and that the charges could be thrown back to "racism" and nefarious motivations," it will be his word against his accuser.
One thing's for sure, Mr Cosby's reputation has forever been tarnished and will remain in ruins, no matter the outcome.