Bill Cosby verdict reaction: 'Money can't buy you freedom'

The guilty verdict in Bill Cosby's retrial drew an outpouring of reaction from the courthouse, across the region and on social media.

In Philadelphia and Norristown, some people said they support the verdict, while others questioned it. Here are some of their reactions:

Jamie Lange, 52, said at Independence Mall that she wanted Cosby exposed.

"I was sick of the victim shaming. It was insane," Lange said. "It's nice that money can't buy you freedom."

Lili Bernard, one of Cosby's accusers, said, "If you still believe that he's innocent, then you're either stupid or evil."

Duncan MacDonald, 55, of Manayunk, said Cosby should have been found guilty the first time around.

"I don't care who he is. I don't care if he's Bill Cosby or Harvey Weinstein," MacDonald said. "The abuse has been there and it needs to stop."

Ronald Blue, 33, of Philadelphia, said his father attended Mary Channing Wister Elementary School with Cosby. While Blue and his family would watch The Cosby Show regularly as a child, he said his father thought Cosby was a "nasty person" and never would join them.

"In some way, in some form, justice has been served," Blue said about the verdict. As for Cosby: "I just hope he knows God."

>> READ MORE: Bill Cosby is guilty. What happens next?

David Smith, 65, of Nicetown, was upset.

"I grew up with Bill Cosby, jello pudding and all that. I grew up watching him. I don't think it's right," Smith said. "I think the lady was lying on him to get money."

Dee Fass, 53, of Philadelphia, called the verdict a "shame."

"It's a crying, crying shame," Fass said. "It's a shame about the person he projected to be and a shame about the women who waited so long."

Fass disagreed that Cosby was guilty, saying, "women know what's going on when they go to a man's house at that time of night."

On social media, some called the verdict a turning point for the #MeToo movement.

Some said other powerful figures accused of sexual assault — such as President Trump — should also be brought to justice.

District Attorney Kevin Steele lauded Cosby's chief accuser, Andrea Constand.

Constand displayed little emotion.

So did Cosby.

Read all the coverage on the Cosby trial here. Learn more about the Bill Cosby case with our day-by-day recap of the trial, timeline, and explainer on everything you need to know about the case and its major players.