Heidi Thomas, the first of six accusers planned to take the stand in Bill Cosby’s retrial, testified on Tuesday that Cosby assaulted her in 1984 when she was 24.
Colorado native Thomas testified that, at the time, she was an aspiring actress whose agent told her an entertainment icon known only to her then as “Mr. C” was looking to “mentor young talent.” Thomas says she was told “Mr. C” had expressed interest in her, arranging for her to travel to meet him in Reno, Nevada.
Thomas testified that she was greeted by a driver at the airport, who took her to a secluded ranch house where Cosby personally opened the door to her and implored her to dress in something more comfortable. Shortly after, Thomas told the court, Cosby had her “cold read” a script as a character who was intoxicated.
Thomas said Cosby urged her to actually consume alcohol, even though she did not drink, and he produced a glass of wine. Thomas said she only remembered taking one sip of before her memory of the next four days blanked out, except for what she termed “snapshots,” which she recalled in detail.
“I remember waking up in a bed, I don’t know whose bed,” Thomas said. “I had clothes on, he did not. I was lying down, and he was forcing himself in my mouth.”
She then recalled her next “snapshot” of his voice saying, “Your friend is gonna come again.”
“I remember thinking, ‘How did I get here? This isn’t what I’m here for,’” she said on the stand.
When Thomas was cross-examined, the defense tried to illustrate an inconsistency between her testimony on Tuesday and her previous accounts of the alleged incident, including a 2016 report to police. Upon questioning Tuesday, Thomas said that she did not actually see Cosby pour the wine, but had previously “assumed” that he did.
Cosby is being re-tried on three counts of aggravated indecent assault, stemming from accusations by former Temple University employer Andrea Constand, who alleges that the embattled comedian molesting her in 2004 at his home outside of Philadelphia. Cosby’s initial trial in the matter ended in a mistrial in July 2017 after the jury was unable to reach a verdict following five days of deliberations.
Earlier Tuesday, Cosby attorney Tom Mesereau accused Constand of being a “con artist,” telling the jury during opening arguments that Constand had changed her story multiple times.