Two New Bill Cosby Accusers Come Forward Alleging Rape; Former ‘Cosby Show’ Actress Seeks Criminal Charges
Two new women came forward Friday to accuse Bill Cosby of drugging and sexual assault. One accuser, a former guest star on The Cosby Show, has filed criminal charges in New Jersey, where there is no statute of limitations for rape.
Gloria Allred presented both women at a press conference held in New York City.
According to BuzzFeed, Lili Bernard, who played Mrs. Minifield during the last season of The Cosby Show, said at the press conference that Bill Cosby offered to mentor her, telling the actress, “You’re like one of my kids.” She alleges once the comedian gained her trust, he drugged and raped her. The last time she saw Cosby, which was in 1992 at The Cosby Show studios, Bernard says he threatened her.
“As far as I’m concerned, Bernard, you’re dead. Do you hear me? You’re dead, Bernard. You don’t exist. I never wanna see your face again. Now get the hell out of here!”
While Lili Bernard says she told a pastor, her therapist and her family and friends about the alleged rape, she did not tell the police until she sat down with New Jersey investigators on Thursday because she feared for her life.
Another woman, Sammie Mays, also shared her allegations at the Friday press conference. According to the Wrap, Mays first met Bill Cosby in the mid ’80s when she was a writer covering the National Association of Television Executives convention in New Orleans. When she asked him for an interview, she says Cosby invited her back to his hotel room. The Cosby Show dad fixed her a drink, which she took two swigs of, and what the alleged victim says happened next closely resembles the allegations made by over 30 other women who have come forward since last fall.
“The next thing I remember when I awoke, from my state of unconsciousness I seemed to have been drooling, and was sloppily slouched in the chair with barely the edge of my bottom in it.”
According to Mays, her breasts were exposed and her belt had been unhooked, re-hooked, and left loose around her hips. She now believes she was raped while she was unconscious. However, at the time of the alleged incident, May pretended her black out was her fault, apologized and left the hotel room.
USA Today reports Gloria Allred and Lili Bernard spent five hours being interviewed by New Jersey detectives on Thursday. According to Allred, if prosecutors believe there is enough evidence, Cosby could be criminally charged.
“Unlike most other states, New Jersey has no statute of limitations for rape, which means that law enforcement is not prevented from prosecuting a case because of an arbitrary time period set by law.”
The two new Bill Cosby accusers come forward just a week after three other women accused the famed comedian of sexual assault.
[Image by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]
