One of the women accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault lambasted his legal defense team Friday, saying it put on a “performance” in the courtroom during the comedian’s trial on sexual offense charges.
“If Oscars were awarded to trial attorneys for their performance in court, Brian McMonagle, Bill Cosby’s attorney, would win one,” said Lili Bernard, speaking on CNN’s “New Day” in support of her fellow accuser, Andrea Constand.
Though dozens of women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, only Constand’s accusations led to criminal charges.
CNN’s Alisyn Camerota asked Bernard about a confrontation she had with a group of Cosby supporters outside the courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in which one asked her why there was no rape kit proving the crime she alleges Cosby committed against her.
“I do have evidence,” she said. “I have evidence in the form of audio cassette recordings and journals. I have hardcore evidence. I have witnesses who have given me videotaped testimonies and I took that evidence to the detectives in Atlantic City in the spring of 2015.”
“Despite the very compelling evidence I’ve saved and the witnesses who are willing to testify on my behalf, the prosecutor couldn’t even consider pressing charges because of the statute of limitations on rape and sexual assault,” she added.
Bernard said Cosby drugged and threatened her, adding that at times she feared for her life.
Another accuser, Victoria Valentino, also told CNN Friday it’s “very hurtful” to see Cosby supporters protesting outside the courthouse “because you want to go up to them and take them one by one and shake them and try to really connect with them.”
She called one of Cosby’s vocal supporters as “horrendous,” but then amended her statement, calling him “uninformed.”
“The real message behind all of this is that no matter how wealthy, no matter how famous, no matter how powerful you are, you are not above the law,” Valentino said. “This is not about race; this is about rape. Rape is not about sex. Rape is about power and control and denigration of its victim.”
The jury began deliberations Monday evening and told the judge Thursday it could not reach a decision, but the judge ordered jurors to try again. Deliberations resume Friday morning.
