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Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document 310-1 Filed 07/02/21 Page 20 of 80
seeking, inter alia, dismissal of the charges based upon the former D.A. Castor’s
purported promise—made in his’ representative capacity on behalf of the
Commonwealth—that Cosby would not be prosecuted. The Commonwealth filed a
response to the motion, to which Cosby replied.
From February 2-3, 2016, the trial court conducted hearings on Cosby’s habeas
petition, which it ultimately denied. Later, in its Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a) opinion, the trial court
explained that “the only conclusion that was apparent” from the record “was that no
agreement or promise not to prosecute ever existed, only the exercise of prosecutorial
discretion.” Tr. Ct. Op. (“T.C.O.”), 5/14/2019, at 62. In support of this conclusion, the trial
court provided a lengthy summary of what it found to be the pertinent facts developed at
the habeas corpus hearing. Because our analysis in this case focuses upon the trial
court’s interpretation of those testimonies, we reproduce that court’s synopsis here:
On January 24, 2005, then District Attorney Bruce L. Castor, Jr., issued a
signed press release announcing an investigation into Ms. Constand’s
allegations. Mr. Castor testified that as the District Attorney in 2005, he
oversaw the investigation into Ms. Constand’s allegations. Ms. Ferman
supervised the investigation along with County Detective Richard Peffall
and Detective Richard Schaffer of Cheltenham. Mr. Castor testified that “I
assigned who | thought were our best people to the case. And | took an
active role as District Attorney because | thought | owed it to Canada to
show that, in America, we will investigate allegations against celebrities.”
Mr. Castor testified that Ms. Constand went to the Canadian police almost
exactly one year after the alleged assault and that the case was ultimately
referred to Montgomery County. The lack of a prompt complaint was
significant to Mr. Castor in terms of Ms. Constand’s credibility and in terms
of law enforcement’s ability to collect physical evidence. He also placed
significance on the fact that Ms. Constand told the Canadian authorities that
she contacted a lawyer in Philadelphia prior to speaking with them. He also
reviewed Ms. Constand’s statements to police. Mr. Castor felt that there
were inconsistences in her statements. Mr. Castor did not recall press
quotes attributed to him calling the case “weak” at a 2005 press conference.
upon pre-arrest delay; and (3) a motion to disqualify the Montgomery County District
Attorney’s Office.
[J-100-2020] - 19
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Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00004832.jpg |
| File Size | 864.8 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 94.4% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 2,591 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 16:53:29.052454 |