Bill Cosby’s conviction dropped and formally released and set free

CNN

12:39 PM Pacific Time – Bill Cosby has just arrived at his home, and a glimpse of him has surfaced after he entered prison.

He appeared to be wearing a mask, and required a little help as he made his way up his front steps. BC also seemed to be overwhelmed with emotion as he got out of the car that picked him up.

11:43 AM PT – The Montgomery County District Attorney’s office is taking a very different tone from the news of Cosby’s release… saying, in essence, that it doesn’t really exonerate him — and that he was only cut for technical legal reasons.

DA Kevin R. Steele He says… “A majority decision of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court orders the release of William H. Cosby Jr. from state prison. He has been convicted by a jury and is now at large in a procedural case unrelated to the facts of a crime.”

Steele adds, “I want to pay tribute to Cosby victim Andrea Constand for her courage in coming forward and steadfastly through this long ordeal, as well as all the other women who have shared similar experiences.” He concludes: “I hope this decision will not discourage reporting of sexual assaults by victims. Prosecutors in my office will continue to pursue evidence wherever and to whomever leads it. We continue to believe that no one is above the law “including the rich, the famous and the powerful.”

BTW, a representative of the PA Department of Corrections told TMZ… Cosby is officially out of prison. Leave.

11:07 AM PT – Cosby’s former TV wife, Felicia Rashad, celebrates his release, saying: “Finally!!!! a fatal mistake is corrected – the wrong of justice is corrected!”

10:28 AM PT – We just spoke with a spokesperson for the Cosby family, Andrew White, which tells us the decision was as much a surprise to the family as it was to anyone else. White, who spoke to us from Bell’s house, says he’s headed to go pick up the comedian.

TMZ.com

Check out his story on exactly how he got there to learn about the court’s decision – it looks like he was trying to deal with a separate Cosby case when he got the news…and had to make a quick turn to deal with the Cosby case. More relevant update – ie Cosby version.

Wyatt also shed some light on how Cosby’s wife, CamilleShe handles this whole thing…and as you can imagine, he says she’s pleased. As you know, she has supported her husband all this time.

The big picture… Wyatt is clearly overjoyed, and this is a huge win for his book and Mr. Cosby’s book. White also says the Cosby case should serve as a good wakeup call for anyone who has been in a similar situation regarding previous deals with law enforcement officials. Basically, he thinks these guys should fight like heck – because, obviously, it can be productive.

As for Cosby’s imminent release… The prison official in the PA Corrections Department tells us that they are receiving the newly delivered legal documents, and they are in the middle of processing and validating them now. So, for now, BC is still in prison – but not for long, apparently.

Bill CosbyHis conviction has been overturned and he will be released.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court just ruled… There are two reasons why the conviction should not continue – the judge allowed prosecutors to subpoena 5 other defendants during the trial, Cosby should never have been criminally prosecuted based on an agreement he made with the previous DA

For the first reason… the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that it is unduly detrimental to 5 women are allowed with stories similar to Andrea Konstand To testify, trying to show that Cosby had an MO to drug the women and then sexually assault them.

The second reason he fought hard during the trial… Previous DA Bruce Castor He made a deal with Cosby that if he testified in a civil statement, he would not face criminal prosecution. During this filing, Cosby made incriminating statements about drugging women, and was brought to trial. The Supreme Court ruled that the plaintiffs had violated the deal.