Bill Cosby sentenced to 3-10 years in state prison

Update 7:50 a.m. EDT Sept. 26: Authorities released a new mugshot of Bill Cosby "dressed in prison blues," WTXF reported early Wednesday.

Related: Bill Cosby mugshots released, actor imprisoned at SCI Phoenix

Update 6:10 p.m. EDT Sept. 25: Bill Cosby has left the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Eagleville, Pennsylvania, according to local media reports, where he was taken directly after his sentencing Tuesday.

He has been moved to a state prison, the State Correctional Institution at Phoenix, CNN reported, where he'll undergo testing and evaluations which will help authorities determine a permanent placement for him.

Every inmate goes through the process, which could take months.

Cosby was sentenced to as many as 10 years in prison on three counts of aggravated indecent assault against former friend and victim Andrea Constand.

Dozens of women had accused Cosby of drugging and raping them dating back to the 1970s.

Update 5:45 p.m. EDT Sept. 25: Bill Cosby is being moved to the state correctional facility after his sentencing Tuesday afternoon.

Several news outlets have posted his jail booking photo on social media.

Once he’s checked into prison, officials will issue him the following:  prison attire, one blanket, two sheets, one towel, one washcloth, one hygiene kit (containing a toothbrush, tooth paste, a bar of soap, shampoo, deodorant, a pen and a comb), according to WCAU-TV.

Update 4 p.m. EDT Sept. 25: Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said Tuesday that he was "pleased" with the "fair and significant sentence" handed down to Cosby on Tuesday.

“He used his acting skills and endearing TV personality to win over his victims and then keep them silent about what he did to them,” Steele said. “Finally, Bill Cosby has been unmasked.”

He praised Andrea Constand, who was drugged and molested by Cosby in 2004, for her steadfast resolve in seeing the actor prosecuted.

“We are all better off because she is in our lives,” Steele said. “She’s been through an ordeal these past 14 years and she’s been solid and steadfast. She’s been a rock. She’s done the right thing over, and over, and over again.”

Constand said in a victim-impact statement released Tuesday that life as she knew it “came to an abrupt halt” in January 2004, after she was drugged and sexually assaulted by Cosby.

“After the assault, I wasn’t sure what had actually happened, but the pain spoke volumes,” she said. “The shame was overwhelming. Self-doubt and confusion kept me from turning to my family or friends as I normally did. I felt completely alone, unable to trust anyone, including myself.”

She said that she is still grappling with fallout from the incident.

Update 3:40 p.m. EDT Sept. 25: A spokeswoman for the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office told The Associated Press that Cosby will be held at the county jail for a few days before he's taken too SCI Phoenix, a new state prison outside of Philadelphia.

"(There) staff will assess his physical, medical and security needs," the AP reported. "Cosby could end up in a long-term medical care unit."

Update 3:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 25: Cosby's publicist, Andrew Wyatt, called his client's trial "the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States" after a judge sentenced him Tuesday to three to 10 years in state prison.

Wyatt said jurors never heard of Cosby’s history as a pillar in the community during his trial. The comedian did not take the stand during the proceedings.

“Mr. Cosby knows that God is watching over him. He knows that these are lies,” Wyatt said. “They persecuted Jesus and look what happened. (I’m) not saying Mr. Cosby is Jesus, but we know what this country has done to black men for centuries.”

Wyatt said Cosby and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who has been accused by at least two women of sexual misconduct, are victims of a “sex war.”

“What is going on in Washington today with Judge Kavanaugh is part of that sex war that Judge O'Neil along with his wife are a part of,” Wyatt said.

Update 3 p.m. EDT Sept. 25: Cosby kept his gaze down after Tuesday's sentencing hearing as he was escorted from the courtroom with his hands handcuffed in front of him.

Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents 32 women who have accused Cosby of sexual assault, said the court sent an “important message” with Cosby’s sentence.

Update 2:20 p.m. EDT Sept. 25: O'Neil denied bail for Cosby after handing down his sentence Tuesday, according to WHYY.

Cosby’s attorneys had argued for bail, the news station reported.

"I've imposed sentencing at this stage," O'Neil told Cosby's attorneys, according to KYW-TV. "If you want to take it up with another court, you can."

Update 2:10 p.m. EDT Sept. 25: O'Neil sentenced Cosby to three to 10 years imprisonment Tuesday.

Cosby will serve out his sentence in state prison, WHYY reported.

Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of five to 10 years in prison while the defense asked for Cosby to be sent home on house arrest.

Cosby was convicted in April of three counts of aggravated indecent assault. A jury determined that Cosby drugged and molested Andrea Constand, who then worked as the director of operations for Temple University’s women’s basketball team, in 2004 at his suburban Philadelphia home.

O’Neil earlier deemed Cosby a “sexually violent predator.” The designation means he will have to register as a sex offender and undergo counsel for the rest of his life.

Cosby’s conviction was the first of a celebrity accused of sexual misconduct in the #MeToo era.

Update 12:35 p.m. EDT Sept 25: O'Neil told people gathered in court Tuesday that he will announce Cosby's sentence at 1:30 p.m., The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Update 12:15 p.m. EDT Sept. 25: Andrea Constand said in a victim-impact statement released Tuesday that life as she knew  it "came to an abrupt halt" in January 2004, after she was drugged and sexually assaulted by Cosby.

Constand was working as director of operations for Temple University’s women’s basketball team after a professional stint with a team in Italy when the assault happened. She said the incident made her feel powerless and left her with years of unrelenting pain, stress and anxiety.

“When the sexual assaulted happened, I was a young woman brimming with confidence and looking forward to a future bright with possibilities,” she wrote. “Now, almost 15 years later, I’m a middle-aged woman who’s been stuck in a holding pattern for most of her adult life, unable to heal fully or to move forward.”

Cosby was found guilty in April of drugging and molesting Constand in 2004. The guilty verdict came less than a year after another jury deadlocked on the same charges.

Cosby’s conviction marked the first of a celebrity in the #MeToo era. A judge is expected to hand down the comedian’s sentence Tuesday.

Update 11:45 a.m. EDT Sept. 25: A judge ruled Tuesday that Cosby is a "sexually violent predator," meaning that he will have to undergo lifetime counseling and report regularly to authorities, according to The Associated Press.

The designation was made Tuesday by Judge Steven O’Neill on the second day of a two-day sentencing hearing for Cosby. Prosecutors are asking that the 81-year-old get five to 10 years in prison for drugging and molesting Andrea Constand in 2004. Cosby’s attorneys have asked for house arrest.

Update 8:55 a.m. EDT Sept. 25: Cosby arrived at the courthouse Tuesday morning to start the second day of his sentencing hearing on charges of aggravated indecent assault.

Cosby's spokesman, Andrew Wyatt, told The Associated Press that the 81-year-old comedian doesn't plan to make a statement in court. Cosby did not testify at either of his trials.

Prosecutors are asking for a sentence of five to 10 years in prison. His attorney wants the judge to send Cosby home on house arrest, saying he’s too old and frail for prison.

Update 5:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 24: Comedian Bill Cosby could see less than 4 years in jail after the judge Monday merged the three counts of aggravated indecent assault Cosby was convicted of into one for sentencing purposes because the counts were all connected to one event, according to news outlets. Cosby may not even see any jail time based on criminal guidelines in Pennsylvania and the fact that he has no previous record. He was facing as much as 30 years behind bars.

Also during proceedings Monday, victim Andrea Constand and members of her family delivered impact statements.

Constand said she just wants "justice" in the case, according to CNN.

"I have testified, I have given you my victim impact statement. You heard me, the jury heard me and Mr. Cosby heard me. All I'm asking for is justice as the court sees fit," Constand said in court.

Her mother, father and older sister also delivered impact statements.

The defense has not called any witnesses, yet, including Bill Cosby, but could tomorrow.

Original report: Cosby, 81, could spend the rest of his life behind bars. He is facing as many as 30 years in prison, although state guidelines for someone like Cosby, who does not have any prior convictions, call for between one and four years in prison.

The sentencing hearing will begin with testimony about Cosby's sex offender evaluation and whether he should be deemed a sexually violent predator. That would make him subject to lifetime counseling and community notification.

A jury found Cosby guilty in April 2018 of drugging and molesting onetime friend Andrea Constand in 2004. Constand was in court Monday for Cosby’s sentencing hearing.

Cosby was convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault, making his the first conviction of a celebrity accused of sexual misconduct in the #MeToo era.

The guilty verdict came less than a year after another jury deadlocked on the same charges.

Jurors deliberated for more than 52 hours over six days in June 2017, but they couldn't reach a unanimous decision on whether Cosby drugged and molested Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home, The Associated Press reported.

Credit: AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Credit: AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Cosby maintained that he and Constand shared a consensual sexual encounter. Cosby's attorney said Constand was a "con artist" who leveled false accusations against the comedian so that she could sue him.

Dozens of women have made high-profile accusations that Cosby had drugged and assaulted them, but Constand’s case was the only one to result in criminal charges against Cosby.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.