Why It May Not Matter If Bill Cosby Is Guilty Of Rape
Bill Cosby has been fighting off multiple rape allegations made by over 30 women for some time. Friday, two more women came forward, making accusations similar to those of the other suspected victims. The shocking element is that these women claim to have been only 17-years-old at the time.
The two women, Margie Shapiro and Sunni Welles, each told their individual stories during an emotional press conference. Shapiro reportedly considered the comedian to be a long-time friend who she trusted. Cosby and Shapiro met at a donut shop where she worked as a teenager. Welles, on the other hand, met Cosby through the Hollywood scene her mother was a part of, according to the Dailly Mail. Though more and more women seem to be coming forward and Bill Cosby’s silence has people wondering, there is a standing reality that some people fail to realize: Bill Cosby will probably not be punished.
Most of the accusations toward Bill are of rapes that took place in 2004 or earlier. In many jurisdictions, the statute of limitations for civil suits would have run out by this point. One of Cosby’s accusers, Andrea Constand, was allegedly raped in the state of Pennsylvania in 2004. Pennslyvania has a two-year statute of limitations for civil suits. Barbara Bowman also spoke up a little too late after allegedly being drugged and raped in New York. The statute of limitations in New York is only one year. Of course, there’s always a criminal suit right? Wrong.
Cosby’s accusers in Pennsylvania have missed the opportunity to come forward, as the statute is 12 years. However, for his New York accused, there is no statute at all. So what is getting in their way of justice? One word: credibility.
Reportedly, many of the women have had their testimonies torn apart on the grounds that they were not credible. In 2005, Andrea Constand filed a criminal case against Bill Cosby, but the Montgomery County Pennsylvania prosecutor did not feel like the information was credible enough to charge Cosby. When prosecutor Bruce Castor was asked to explain his decision not to charge the alleged rapist, he expressed that timing was not on the woman’s side.
“The problem with the case was she waited a year until she told police about it.”
So far, none of Bill Cosby’s accusers have been able to provide solid proof that they were assaulted. And even if they could, many of them are simply too late.
[Image via Fox News]
