NORRISTOWN, Pa. _ One met Bill Cosby while working as a flight attendant in the 1960s. Many were aspiring models or actresses sent to him in New York, Los Angeles or other cities.
But each of the 13 accusers who prosecutors hope to call as witnesses at Cosby's trial next year share a central experience, government lawyers told a Montgomery County judge on Wednesday: They were drugged and sexually assaulted by a man whose celebrity dazzled them, a man they considered a mentor and friend.
"He used his fame and notoriety and public status to instill trust," said District Attorney Kevin Steele. "He then exploited that trust. ... This is a lifetime of sexual assault on young women."
Steele's argument opened a second day of hearings in Norristown on the central pretrial battle of the case.
Prosecutors hope to convince Judge Steven T. O'Neill that the experiences of the 13 women are so similar to that of the case's central accuser, Andrea Constand, that they establish Cosby followed a similar pattern over years. Later Wednesday, Cosby's defense team is expected to outline its arguments questioning the value and propriety of letting the women testify.
In his argument to the judge, Steele said their testimony is not just helpful but "crucial" to the government's case.
"The Commonwealth has a significant need for this evidence," he said. "Without this, we will be forced to rely on what I am sure will be argued as the uncorroborated testimony of one victim. This testimony is needed to counter attacks on the victim's credibility."
If permitted, the testimony of the 13 women _ most of whom have come forward publicly to accuse Cosby over the last two years _ could transform Cosby's trial from a more traditional he-said-she-said sexual assault case to one that could recast a celebrity once known as "America's Dad" as a serial sex predator.
And though the allegations of the 13 stretch from the 1960s to the early 2000s, each story shows a similarity to the one told by Constand, who has alleged Cosby drugged and assaulted her in 2004 when she approached him seeking career advice.
All were younger than Cosby. Many met him through work or while pursuing careers in the entertainment industry. And each accepted his invitation to meet with him somewhere private, like a hotel room or his home, Steele said.
