On Thursday, after 14 hours of deliberation over the course of two days, a Pennsylvania jury found Bill Cosby guilty on three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault against Andrea Constand, according to the Associated Press. Cosby has yet to be sentenced; the AP reports that the 80-year-old could receive up to 10 years in prison for each of the three felonies, though, under Pennsylvania state sentencing guidelines, he’s expected not to receive the maximum sentence.
The trial, which spanned a two-week period, was a retrial after the original jury deadlocked on a verdict in June 2017. Constand’s case marks the only criminal charges that have been brought against Cosby, who has been accused of sexual assault and harassment by more than 60 women in recent years, according to the AP.
After news broke of Cosby’s guilty verdict — the first brought against a man in the entertainment industry since the start of the #MeToo movement last fall — countless celebrities took to Twitter to condemn Cosby’s actions and celebrate the fact that justice had been served against the comedian. Among those who spoke out on Thursday were Tarana Burke, the originator of the #MeToo hashtag; and Terry Crews, who shared his own story on Twitter of allegedly being groped by a Hollywood exec at an event last October. “Time’s up, Bill. Time’s BEEN up for you, for years. And now justice. Justice for women I know who you’ve hurt and those I’ve never met. Good riddance,” tweeted Amber Tamblyn, who has spoken out forcefully against the pandemic of sexual misconduct in recent months.
