Bill Cosby Said He Won't Testify at His Rape Trial

May 18, 2017

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Summary: Bill Cosby told a radio host that he will not testify at his criminal trial next month.

Bill Cosby doesn’t think he will testify at his criminal trial. The once beloved TV dad was accused by multiple women of drugging and raping them, and he will face trial next month for the alleged sexual assault of one. On Tuesday, he spoke with a Sirius-XM radio host in a rare interview about why he did not want to give testimony.

“When you have to deal with examination, cross-examination, et cetera, et cetera, more than two sides to every story – sometimes it’s four or five,” Cosby said toSirius-XM radio host Michael Smerconish.

Cosby also said that he felt racism played a part with the way the accusations were slung at him. According to Gulf News, this is a sentiment echoed by his daughter Ensa Cosby, who said she believes “racism has played a role” in her father’s treatment by his alleged victims.

Rumors of the comedian’s alleged sexual misconduct swirled for decades, but in 2014, the public’s awareness of the claims reignited. During a stand-up set, comedian Hannibal Burress condemned Cosby, calling him”the f–king smuggest old black man public persona that I hate.”

“He gets on TV, ‘Pull your pants up, black people. I was on TV in the ’80s. I can talk down to you because I had a successful sitcom,'” Buress said during his show. “Yeah, but you raped women, Bill Cosby, so turn the crazy down a couple notches.”

After Burress’ joke went viral, some of Cosby’s accusers spoke out in public, and the media began to dig into his past. In July of 2015, the Associated Press published testimony that Cosby gave during a deposition regarding a rape claim from Temple University employee, Andrea Constand. In the deposition, Cosby admitted to giving women Quaaludes before having casual sex.

Constand claimed that in January of 2004 she went to the comedian’s home after a night out with friends. She said that Cosby gave her pills, which knocked her unconscious. During her immobility, Cosby allegedly had sex with her.

In the published deposition, the former star of The Cosby Show admitted to the sex with Constand but said it was consensual.

The case with Constand had been settled for an undisclosed sum in 2006, and the criminal charge of sexual assault was not pursued by the then-district attorney Bruce Castor on the grounds of “insufficient evidence.” In late 2015, the new district attorney Kevin Steele vowed to reopen the case and pursue criminal charges against Cosby. Although Cosby has been accused of rape by almost 60 women, the Constand case is the only criminal trial he faces.

During Cosby’s recent 30 minute radio interview, he said he wanted to speak out to the people who still believed he was innocent.

“I decided that I think it’s time for me to do something so that the people who still have faith in me, the people who are still wondering what I sound like as opposed to The National Enquirer, which is very interesting reading when they write about me,” Cosby said.

Cosby’s trial is set for June 5 and will take place in Philadelphia.