RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
The comedian Bill Cosby was found guilty yesterday of three counts of aggravated indecent assault. All three counts are felonies, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. In a dramatic moment, the prosecutor said Cosby's bail should be revoked because he's a flight risk. Cosby erupted, shouting an expletive at the prosecutor. Cosby's lawyer, Thomas Mesereau, said they will appeal.
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THOMAS MESEREAU: We are very disappointed by the verdict. We don't think Mr. Cosby's guilty of anything, and the fight is not over. Thank you.
MARTIN: This case was brought by Andrea Constand, who testified that she visited Cosby's home back in 2004 when she was 30 years old. He was 66. She says Cosby drugged and raped her.
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DOLORES TROIANI: She came here 14 years ago for justice. I am so happy today that I can say that although justice was delayed, it was not denied.
MARTIN: That's the voice of Constand's lawyer, Dolores Troiani, speaking at the prosecutor's press conference. Her client is one of dozens of women to make similar accusations against Bill Cosby, being drugged and sexually assaulted. Donna Motsinger is another. She says back in 1972, when she was 26, Cosby drugged and assaulted her after a night out in the Bay Area. Our co-host David Greene reached Motsinger from her home in Taos, N.M., last night. She described the moment she found out Cosby had been found guilty.
DONNA MOTSINGER: I was in the grocery store when it happened, but I was very happy.
DAVID GREENE, BYLINE: How did you find out when you were in the grocery store?
MOTSINGER: The best thing to say is that I found out through other survivors, but I couldn't get through. Everybody was calling me. We have a Smith's grocery store here, and they don't - the cell service is bad in it. So everybody was coming through. So a lot of people called to tell me because I wasn't - I don't have one of those new phones. So - and I don't - I was busy shopping because I live up in the mountains. So that's how I found out.
GREENE: Well, let me just ask how you reacted when you got that news from...
MOTSINGER: I really - this is a thing that I want - that I thought immediately was that one woman can make a difference, one woman that is brave. She's been through a lot. This is hard. And the other thing that I thought of was that this is the first man. There's been a lot of men that have been accused, and they've lost their jobs. And they've lost their position in life - none have been tried. None have been charged criminally. And this is the first man that has.
And it's important that Andrea did this to send a message that this is not going to happen for women anymore. We're on the precipice of a big - a big change, a big change. And she's the reason because she did not give up.
GREENE: Your connection to Bill Cosby - this is - your story is close to 50 years ago. Can you...
MOTSINGER: A long time.
GREENE: ...Remind me of just a little of it? You were in the Bay Area, and you met him at a restaurant where you were working?
MOTSINGER: Yeah, I don't want to tell it again. Like, I don't want this to be about - this is real important for me. Don't make this about me. I want to make this about the moment and the impact it's going to have on the culture and somebody like my granddaughter, my niece, my niece's daughter. I want it to be about the bravery of Andrea and the - how tenacious she was. Because I think you can only imagine how hard that has been on her.
GREENE: I will absolutely respect that.
MOTSINGER: Yeah. But I don't want to tell my story again. I don't want to see my story again. It's not important to this. I'm really very protective that it doesn't become about me. It's about - it's about him. And it's about - right now at this moment, it's about what she accomplished.
GREENE: In terms of what she has accomplished, let me ask you about that. I mean, do you feel like justice has been served in some way by what she has gone through?
MOTSINGER: Absolutely, a hundred percent. That's exactly what has happened. Justice has been served. And it couldn't have happened without her because all the rest of us had a statute of limitations. And all the rest of us didn't come forward when it happened. And all the rest of us have a story that's similar. Most of us have a story that's similar without any power. And she put power behind our story. And so she got justice. Yes, it looks like for one person, but it sends a message that there's over 60 of us that were not lying.
MARTIN: That's Donna Motsinger speaking with our co-host, David Greene. Motsinger accused Bill Cosby of drugging and assaulting her 46 years ago. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.