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Cosby Faces Sentencing Hearing In Sex Assault Case

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NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KDKA/AP) - Bill Cosby is facing the start of a two-day sentencing hearing at which a judge will decide how to punish the 81-year-old trailblazing comedian who preyed on at least one young woman and perhaps many more.

Cosby was the first celebrity to go to trial in the #MeToo era and could be the first to go to prison after being convicted in April of drugging and sexually assaulting former Temple University athletics employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

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(Photo Credit: DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)

Constand testified that Cosby knocked her out with pills, then molested her during an encounter at his home in 2004. A jury convicted Cosby of three felony counts. He faces up to 30 years in prison, though state guidelines suggest a sentence of one to four years.

Constand tweeted a Bible verse earlier Monday.

Some 60 women accuse the former "Cosby Show" star of sexual assault, though Constand's case is the only one that went to trial.

Following the conviction, Carnegie Mellon University announced that it was revoking an honorary degree it awarded to Cosby back in May of 2007.

In a two paragraph statement given to KDKA-TV News, CMU said it has a long and unwavering commitment and it will not tolerate sexual violence of any kind. These acts, it said, are against the law and violate our core values.

(TM and © Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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