Why Is Bill Cosby ‘Not Eligible’ For Prison Release Amid Coronavirus? Spokeswoman Spills Details

Bill Cosby’s request to be released from prison amid the coronavirus pandemic has been denied. As USA Today reports, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections sent an email to the outlet over the weekend explaining why.

Susan McNaughton told the publication that "inmate Cosby is not eligible for a reprieve by the governor” because he is a sex offender.

As previously reported, a correction officer at the SCI Phoenix in Montgomery County in Pennsylvania, where Cosby is serving his prison sentence, tested positive for COVID-19. The staff and prisoners fear that the illness is spreading throughout the facility, among those with concern is Cosby and his reps.

"The reason: Mr. Cosby is elderly and blind -- and always needs to be escorted around the prison by support service inmates, known as Certified Peer Specialists (CPI)," Andrew Wyatt, the spokesperson for Cosby, said at the time. “Those inmates could fall victim to the Coronavirus and easily spread the disease to Mr. Cosby as they wheel him around in a wheelchair. Among their duties, the inmates bring Mr. Cosby to the infirmary for his doctor appointments and clean his cell."

After hearing the news of Cosby’s ineligibility, Wyatt reiterated the severeness of the 82-year-old actor’s vulnerability.

"The news was shocking to all of us because we were told by sources close to Gov. Wolf that Mr. Cosby would be a direct beneficiary of his executive order," he explained. "Mr. Cosby wasn’t given a life/death sentence, but we feel that the state of Pennsylvania is trying to execute Mr. Cosby, by exposing him to this virus.”

In 2018, Cosby was found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee, in 2004. A judge sentenced him to serve three to 10 years behind bars.

As USA Today reports, on April 10, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced a temporary reprieve for at-risk nonviolent inmates approaching their release dates. Because of this, Cosby’s lawyers were hoping that he could serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest. They argued that he is no longer a threat due to his disability and age.