NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The Latest on the Bill Cosby sexual assault retrial (all times local):
12:45 p.m.
A topless protester who jumped a barricade and got within a few feet of Bill Cosby has been identified as a New Jersey woman who appeared on several episodes of “The Cosby Show.”
Actress Nicolle Rochelle was charged with disorderly conduct for Monday’s protest. She ran in front of Cosby toward a bank of TV cameras as the comedian walked into a suburban Philadelphia courthouse for the start of his sexual assault retrial.
She says she wanted to make Cosby “uncomfortable.”
Written on her body were the names of more than 50 Cosby accusers, along with “Women’s Lives Matter.”
Rochelle was intercepted by sheriff’s deputies and led away in handcuffs. She was later released.
The European feminist group Femen claims Rochelle as one of its own.
Cosby has denied drugging and molesting a woman at his home several years ago.
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12:15 p.m.
European feminist group Femen says one of its topless activists targeted Bill Cosby to call attention to sexual violence and the need to hold perpetrators responsible.
A protester with “Women’s Lives Matter” written on her bare chest jumped a barricade Monday as Cosby walked into a suburban Philadelphia courthouse for the start of his sexual assault retrial. She was quickly detained.
Femen leader Inna Shevchenko told The Associated Press the activist was seeking to defend Cosby’s alleged victims. She said it’s the group’s “contribution to the global revolt launched by #MeToo.”
The Femen movement started in Ukraine in 2009 and has spread to multiple countries, staging unauthorized topless protests against religious institutions, far-right politicians and other targets seen as oppressing women.
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10:30 a.m.
Bill Cosby’s spokesman is calling for increased security after a topless protester hopped a barricade and got close to the 80-year-old comedian as he walked into a suburban Philadelphia courthouse for his sexual assault retrial.
The woman ran in front of Cosby on Monday but was intercepted by sheriff’s deputies.
Spokesman Andrew Wyatt praised the deputies for stopping the protester. But he says more is needed to ensure Cosby’s safety, telling The Associated Press, “You never know who’s going to want to make a name for themselves.”
He also questioned why a woman protesting in support of rape victims would be topless, saying it was disrespectful to victims.
The protester’s name hasn’t been released.
Cosby is charged with drugging and molesting a woman in 2004.
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9:45 a.m.
A judge is questioning a woman who says a juror in Bill Cosby’s sexual assault retrial told her he thinks the comedian is guilty.
Judge Steven O’Neill is questioning the woman in his chambers Monday ahead of opening statements in the retrial.
The woman said in an affidavit last week that the juror offered his opinion as they chatted during jury selection. Cosby’s lawyers want the man removed as a juror.
O’Neill says he’ll decide his next step based on what the woman tells him.
Cosby is charged with drugging and molesting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. He says the sexual encounter was consensual. His last trial ended in a hung jury.
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8:35 a.m.
A topless protester who jumped a barricade and got within a few feet of Bill Cosby as he walked into a suburban Philadelphia courthouse for his sexual assault retrial has been taken into custody.
The woman ran in front of Cosby on Monday but was intercepted by sheriff’s deputies.
Cosby seemed startled by the commotion as protesters chanted at him, but he was not touched and is uninjured.
He was led into the courthouse after the woman was led away in handcuffs.
She was among about a half dozen people chanting in support of Cosby’s accuser. She had “Women’s Lives Matter” written in red ink on her chest and stomach along with other phrases in black and red all over her body.
Opening statements are scheduled to begin Monday morning.
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This item has been corrected to show that the woman had “Women’s Lives Matter” written on her, not “Matters.”
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1 a.m.
Bill Cosby’s sexual assault retrial likely won’t be anything like his first one.
The first big celebrity trial of the #MeToo era begins on Monday in suburban Philadelphia with opening statements.
The 80-year-old former TV star is accused of drugging and molesting a woman at his home in 2004.
Prosecutors are lining up a parade of accusers to make the case that the man revered as “America’s Dad” lived a double life as one of Hollywood’s biggest predators.
Cosby is fighting back with a new, high-profile lawyer and an aggressive strategy.
They’re attacking Andrea Constand as a greedy liar and casting the other women testifying as bandwagon accusers looking for a share of the spotlight.
Cosby’s first trial last spring ended in a hung jury.
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