NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Bill Cosby’s lawyers put on a case consisting of just one witness and six minutes of testimony Monday, wrapping up the defense side in the sexual assault trial without the comedian himself taking the stand.
The jury was expected to hear closing arguments next and could get the case in the afternoon.
The big question going into Monday’s proceedings was whether Cosby would testify — a high-stakes gamble that could have allowed him to work his charm on the jury but could have also exposed him to blistering cross-examination about some of the scores of other women who say they were assaulted by the comic once known as America’s Dad.
With Cosby’s wife of 53 years, Camille, looking on in the courtroom for the first time in the 6-day-old trial, the TV star ended the suspense by telling a judge that he had decided not to take the stand after talking it over with his lawyers.
Judge Steven O’Neill asked Cosby a series of questions designed to make sure he was aware of his right to testify and wasn’t pressured into deciding against it. Cosby spoke loudly as he answered, responding “YES!” or “NO!”