Andrea Constand Takes The Stand In Bill Cosby Trial

NORRISTOWN, PA — Andrea Constand, the former Temple University employee who has accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault, took the stand in Day 2 of the trial on Tuesday afternoon.

During her testimony, Constand reportedly went into detail regarding the incidents at Cosby's home on New Second Street in Cheltenham. She described how Cosby told her the drugs would "help her relax" and that the drugs were "her friends."

After seven minutes, Constand told the jury, according to CBS3, she couldn't feel her legs, and she couldn't fight off Cosby's sexual advances.

Her testimony was a repeat of much of what had already been stated in court papers released in 2015:

Cosby went upstairs and returned with three blue pills in his hand.

“These will make you feel good,” he allegedly told her. “The blue things will take the edge off.”

“Are they herbal?” Constand asked, according to the court papers.

“Yes,” Cosby affirmed, and then motioned with his hands that she should take the pills. “Down them. Put ‘em down. Put them in your mouth.”

Constand took a proffered cup of water from him, told him she trusted him, and swallowed down the pills.

“Taste the wine,” he added, offering her a glass. Constand deferred, saying she hadn’t eaten anything that day.

“Just taste the wine,” he said, according to her account given to prosecutors. She took a few sips.

Time passed. Within twenty or thirty minutes, she had trouble seeing clearly or speaking. Her legs felt rubbery, “like jelly.” She was dizzy and nauseous. She couldn’t hear anything, had no sense of time, and was in and out of consciousness. William Henry Cosby led her to the couch, she told prosecutors.

“I’m going to let you relax,” he allegedly said.

The next morning, William Henry Cosby was standing near the door, dressed in a robe. He handed her a muffin.

“All right,” he said, and opened the door.

***
Constand left without saying anything.

It wasn’t long until the nightmares started.

She had memories of what happened after she lost control of her body that night, her mother told investigators She had been almost completely paralyzed and could not move any of her limbs. She could not speak. She remembered Cosby touching her breasts, putting his hands into her pants and inside her body, and grabbing her hand and putting it on his genitals, according to Constand’s account, provided in the charging documents.

Cosby's defense will rely upon the ability of his lawyers to question the accounts and the credibility of both Constand and Kelly Johnson, the only other accuser of Cosby whose testimony has been made admissible in the trial, according to legal expert and attorney Jill Stanley.

On Monday, lawyers for Cosby said in opening statements that Constand had fabricated the charges, the New York Times reports.

Cosby, 79, is facing three counts of aggravated indecent assault in connection with the accusations. He could spend up to ten years in jail if convicted.

Read more about the Cosby case here:

• Bill Cosby Trial Begins Monday In Montgomery County: 5 Things To Know
• William Henry 'Bill' Cosby: Charges of Deception, Drugs, Wine, And Sexual Assault
• Bill Cosby Grants First Interview In Years Weeks Before Trial
• Bill Cosby's Trial Jurors Will Be From The Pittsburgh Area
• Bill Cosby Returns To Montgomery County Court
• Montco Courtroom Erupts into Shouting Match at Bill Cosby Hearing
• Prosecutors Seek To Use Decades Of Bill Cosby's Lewd Comments
• Bill Cosby's Request To Suppress Phone Call Denied By Montco Judge

Image via Montgomery County District Attorney's Office