PHILADELPHIA _ Montgomery County, Pa., prosecutors want to call 19 more accusers to testify against Bill Cosby at his upcoming sex assault retrial, potentially expanding the scope and length of the proceeding.
The women would be called to help bolster the claims of the central witness, Andrea Constand, who Cosby is charged with drugging and molesting at his Cheltenham home in 2004. Cosby's first trial on charges of aggravated indecent assault ended in mistrial in June, after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
The request was outlined in a motion filed Thursday by District Attorney Kevin R. Steele.
Steele and his team of prosecutors had asked to present testimony from 13 other women at the first trial but Judge Steven T. O'Neill permitted only one; Kelly Johnson testified that the entertainer drugged and assaulted her in a Los Angeles hotel room in 1996. The new request includes the original 13 women, as well as six more.
Pennsylvania law allows evidence of "prior bad acts," but judges must determine whether the alleged past behavior follows a similar pattern to the crimes for which the defendant is on trial.
Although dozens of women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, the encounter with Constand is the only case in which he is facing criminal charges. Cosby has denied all allegations against him. His spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday.
Cosby, 80, is scheduled to face retrial April 2.
