Los Angeles police have opened an investigation into one woman’s claims that Bill Cosby molested her.
Los Angeles police opened an investigation on Friday into a woman’s claims that Bill Cosby molested her when she was 15 years old, a department spokeswoman said.
The investigation was opened after Judy Huth, who is suing Cosby for sexual battery, met with Los Angeles police detectives for 90 minutes.
Los Angeles Police Officer Jane Kim said the department opened its investigation after the meeting.
Huth’s civil suit claims Cosby forced her to perform a sex act on him in a bedroom of the Playboy Mansion around 1974 when she was underage.
Forty years ago.
Police did not give any additional details about the investigation. Police Chief Charlie Beck on Thursday urged potential victims of sex abuse by Cosby to speak with detectives, regardless of whether their claims were outside the statute of limitations.
I have no idea what the police can do with an investigation of that kind.
I have no idea what the police can do with an investigation of that kind.
It couldn’t be that they’re planning on equally loudly announcing they didn’t learn anything?
Hmm. I guess it could be, but it doesn’t seem very likely.
You know one of those “HEY we’re ON THE JOB” kind of thing. 40 years late.
Oh, I getcha. CYA. Only…it it’s futile, does it really cover the ass? But I’m wondering if law enforcement considers fact-finding not necessarily futile. I just don’t know. [annoyed at not knowing]
Perhaps officer Jane Kim is being a hardass, poking a finger in Cosby’s chest, telling him he’s done getting away with rape.
Whatever else went on, taking an unrelated 15-year-old to the Playboy Mansion is pretty damned skeevy, certainly worth a look into this man’s history.
Optimistically…
Police have a lot more resources than your average citizen who’s been subjected to a horrific crime. They may not be able to file charges, but they might be able to support the claims. Of value in and of itself, and might provide support to other, perhaps more recent crimes still within the statue of limitations.
IANAL so this is pretty much just speculation, but…
Can evidence of crimes for which the statute of limitations has expired be used in the trial of a more recent crime? If so, can it be used to establish a pattern of behaviour (and thus influence a jury’s verdict), or only by a judge as part of sentencing?
Someone just suggested the same thing on my Facebook post, or at least a similar thing – might lead to evidence of new crimes.
I think the pattern thing tends to be ruled out, but I think that mostly because of watching tv courtrooms, so I’m probably wrong.
I think I recall hearing that since this case involves a crime committed against a person who was a minor at the time, there is no statute of limitations. If so, other cases (as mentioned) could be used to establish a pattern and could be used as evidence.
IANL, yada yada.
Prior bad acts
http://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/fre/rule_404
http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1982&context=plr
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Similar_fact_evidence
etc.
Thing is, that can go either way, for either party. And with a mountain of unprosecuted prior bad acts, they may not be admissible at all as the defendant could potentially be convicted by sheer volume or quality of other unproven testimony. The probative value must outweigh any prejudicial value to be admitted as some type of evidence.
However, good luck finding a jury pool (should such a thing ever occur) that is not aware of this story now. But given our culture, it’s a crapshoot which way knowing the story would prejudice a juror one way or another, even given the process of voir dire.