the following is a cnn special report. last fall, the legendary bill cosby was restaking his claim as an a-list super star at the age of 77. >> cosby was really looking at a career rejuvenation. >> 30 years after his nbc blockbuster, the network was

cooking up another cosby sitcom. netflix had plans to stream a comedy special and a 500 page biography was in new york times best seller. >> and then it hits. >> bill cosby, under fire. >> fallout. one project after another getting pulled from embattled comedian bill cosby now accused of multiple sexual assaults. he offered me a large white pill. last thing i remembered i blacked out. >> bill cosby mounting me. he drugged and raped me. you are such a perverted creep. >> bill cosby has -- has not been charged with any crimes. yet he has gone from one of america's most revered entertains to one of its most reviled. even las vegas candle his show.

when you are too sleezy for vegas. "no laughing matter" inside the cosby allegations." >> denver colorado, a thousand miles from los angeles. 2,000 miles from new york city. but denver is where barbara bowman decided she could grow up to be an actress. >> i was a go getter. i was adventurous. i have a passion to do this. >> by 16, she was starring in local commercials. >> come on up to colorado's favorite ski resort. we guarantee you'll notice the difference. >> and by 17, she was ready to audition for a super star. bill cosby. >> he was america's favorite dad. he was every father figure thth

everyone watched every week. >> cosby was friends with bowman's talent agent, joe farrell. >> can you tell me about your agent, can you describe her? >> yes she was known in town as the barracuda. if that means i work very hard. protect my people and am a good business woman, i accept it. her talent agency, jf images, had a big reputation. and barbara bowman had what it took to be a star. i happen to know permanently how talented she was. diane mcfarland an x-model helped to manage the school. >> what was your impressions? >> young, pretty. very dedicated, foecused and an very bright. naive, young, sweet. >> what might have her future looked like? >> extremely bright. she was one of the best students we had. >> was she ambitious and determined? >> extremely and she wanted to win.

>> wanted it so badly that for three years, starting when she was just 14, bowman endured the criticism that the boss, joe farrell, regularly dished out. >> and she would come in there and lay down the law. you think this is tough? wait until you get the next level. you think i'm tough? get used to it now. >> bowman's shot at the next level came in 1985. bill cosby was coming to denver and her agent said he was scouting for potential stars. >> so when he came in to town and she selected me, you know, it was a big deal. >> a big deal because cosby was the quintessential success story. rising from the projects of philadelphia to the heights of hollywood. >> you don't get larger, more successful than bill cosby unless you're barack obama. >> bob hubert covers cosby for philadelphia magazine. >> he was the first leading

black man on a network back in the mid '60s. >> cosby's performance in "i spy" won him three consecutive emmys but that was nothing compared to what came next. >> by 1985, he had become a television juggernaut with the cosby show. >> what you need to do now is go to the next level if you want justine back. >> what's that? >> begging. >> for 8 seasons on nbc, he starred at the lovable dr. cliff huxtable, patriarch of a family that defied racial stereotypes, revived the sitcom drama and mega bucks in syndication. >> it made him a huge, huge star not just in the african-american world but whites as well.

is plan was to audition for the super star at the turn of the century nightclub. she was groomed and ready to meet bill cosby. it was a moment that would change her life. when we come back -- >> at one point, i went like this and started to move hand away and he said, you can't do that. you need to relax.

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you switch to geico. it's what you do. head for the cemetery! bill cosby has earned millions of fans, hundreds of millions of dollars and the admiration of many, including colleagues like felicia rashad. >> he's a genius. he is generous. he's kind. he's. and the popularity soaring. and tapped by her agent to audition for him at a denver nightclub. she calls he asked about her childhood. >> the fact that i really was a

vulnerable kid, no dad. no father figure in my life and wanted to take on that role. and it was an honor to be there and i wanted him to care about me like a father would care about a daughter. >> then, she says, it was showtime. to see how well this budding actress could perform. >> he wanted me to do an acting improv exercise where i was intoxicated. he explained it would be a little uncomfortable, if we're really authentic in our acting, we'd have to tap in and let my guard down and trust him. he had me close my eyes and proceed to act drunk. and he's behind me and she's stroking my hair and stroking my neck and, you know, kind of rubbing my shoulders and getting me to relax and meanwhile, his

hands are moving down on to my breasts and at one point, i went like this and started to move his hands away and said, no, you can't do that. you need to relax. >> for a 17-year-old, aching to be an actress, she said it was confusing. >> you know, i wanted to trust him. i really, really wanted to trust him. >> bowman's agent, joe farrell, is not retired. she declined to comment with cnn but in 2006 she told the denver post i don't know the truth of it. it's mind boggling. i don't set up interviews in bars and it makes me sad because my reputation has always been golden in this city. i have never seen cosby to be anything but a gentleman. >> a father figure in my life. >> that's what bowman said she wanted to believe too. >> and he was going to groom me, mentor me, and that he had a lot he could offer me. >> bowman said cosby soon invited her to see some of his shows.

there was seattle and then reno. there, he pressured her to perform a scene in his hotel room. >> he turned out the lights and he made me close my eyes. and went through an exercise, a trust exercise. >> that was sexual? >> that was sexual. >> he had his pants off? >> yes. >> and were you -- >> or down at least. >> had his hands down and forced your hand on him. >> yes. >> and were you drugged? >> i don't know, but i know that i was frigid and frozen with fear and just went into a zone. >> so violated. i was disgusted. i couldn't tell anybody.

i felt dirty. >> why did you not tell anyone? >> i was full of shame and fear and disgust. it was just too far fetched for anyone to believe. >> how were you able to get past that to see him again? >> a coping mechanism, a survival mode kicked in. i was just so shocked that i wanted to just believe it didn't happen. >> it was way back when no one was suing anybody. after working as a model for jm images, diane mcfarlane knew how the acting business could be. >> there was confusion, maybe everybody has to do a little something. so it was terrifying and you wouldn't know what to do. >> mcfarland said bowman would eventually confide to her. and what she came to you, what were the conversations like? >> i remember she was

traumatized from sexual abuse. i don't remember the details. i just remember the tears and holding her and telling her she'd be okay. >> mcfarland wishes she did more to protect her. >> i would have lost my job. i'm not excusing it. i'm a different person now. >> bowman took classes and prepared until her agent, jo farrell, declared her ready for new york. she was looking to always graduate her talent into the big leagues. so bowman left college for the big apple. >> just getting off the plane was like, oh my gosh. i'm really here. >> bowman said her agent and cosby paid for her apartment and classes at this acting school. >> i felt, you know, that this was an amazing opportunity. >> an opportunity that, with

hard work, might lead to a role on tv's number one show. >> was the thinking that bill cosby was recruiting to be on the cosby show? >> yes, not necessarily like i'm taking you out of denver or taking you to new york and you're going to be on the show but that was all part of the menu of items that were going to be available. >> success for the actress also meant success for the agent. >> millions of young women want to be actresses and i've got a team of people behind me that believe in me, that care about me. i felt lucky. >> but bowman said that feeling would change. drastically. when we come back -- >> i was drugged. i was assaulted. and i was raped.

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new york city. the big time.

it was here a now 18-year-old barbara bowman hoped she could find the acting career she dreamed of. with the backing of her agent and bill cosby, one of the country's biggest superstars, she thought she had a shot. >> i'm going to prove it that i have it in me and i'm going to be the model actor and model student and they were going to open those doors for me. >> open those doors, she says, as long as she played by their rules. >> i found myself in new york and then under complete and under control of him and my agent. i became very isolated. i was put into an apartment and i was supposed to just stay on the straight and narrow, go straight to acting classes, come straight back. >> the rude awakening came here, bill cosby manhattan brown stone.

>> when was the last time you saw this that night? >> cosby invited her over what was supposed to be tutoring. >> i had one glass of wine, went upstairs, started the acting exercise and that was it. i just remember putting the script down because i was feeling fuzzy, dizzy. it was like a lobotomy. where you're there, you're awake, but you're not there. you're vacant. just baffled state of mind. next thing i know, i'm in the bathroom.

and i am throwing up. >> bowman said she didn't know why she was throwing up. cosby would tell her she drank too much but she says she never even finished her glass of wine. >> so as i'm throwing up over the toilet and he's right here and the robe is, it's tied, but it's open. and the boxer shorts are open. and his penis is out. and brushing against my back. >> your panties are on you or over you? >> they're to the side and all messed up and i knew what happened. >> how did you know what happened? >> because a woman knows. and i was wet and dirty.

i was drugged. i was assaulted. and i was raped. >> this time bowman said she mustered the courage to tell her agent, jo farrell, back in denver. >> and she did nothing. and insinuated that that didn't happen. what are you talking about? how could you say such a thing? >> said that conversation never happened. telling the denver post the women she represented never said anything to me about this. but back in new york, barbara bowman said she was distraught. >> and i was so freaked out and getting that response was crushing. >> bowman said she turned to a lawyer. >> he didn't believe me. and called my claims preposterous.

that's bill cosby you're talking about. that's all it took, one more person not to believe me. >> bowman did not file a police report. after that, why didn't you sever all contact with him? >> it wasn't like that. i was a prisoner. i was completely and utterly dependent. >> dependent and with no choice. when she says cosby and her agent moved her to long island 25 miles away from manhattan. and why did they move you out here? >> i don't know. you know, i felt like they were hiding me in this tiny little world and i was isolated from everybody. one of the rules was, no visitors. it was very restricted. >> restricted, isolated, and controlled, she says. >> it was like i was always on edge.

>> it was while you were living here that atlantic city happened. >> yes. bill cosby invited me down to the shore. he was performing down there. >> she went. once she got to her hotel room, bowman said she realized her luggage was missing and started to panic. >> i felt very vulnerable and just, i wanted my stuff and i started to call from his room. because he called me down to the room and as soon as i picked up the phone and started calling concierge, he started to just go crazy. and slammed the phone down and told me not to worry about the luggage and turn the lights out. >> bowman said all she remembers is waking up the next morning in her room undressed with her suitcase. >> i get a call from cosby and summons me.

>> what did he tell you? >> saying i embarrassed him, the whole hotel was going to say, what are you doing with a 19-year-old girl and the suite, on and on. >> cosby then became violent. as she described in a phone call to her best friend, denise victor. >> she told me, it's bill cosby, it's bill cosby. >> he threw me down on the bed. jumped on top of me. put his arm under my throat. >> she kept saying, he's an animal. >> i'm laying there and i'm screaming, get off me, get off me. and kicking him from behind like this. and he's struggling with all his might to get hiss pants off and undo his belt buckle.

she was saying, i fought him, i fought him hard. >> the belt buckle is clinking hard and he adjusted his grip and went for my pants. and then i wiggled out and it was like, it was like a light switch just clicked and it was like he snapped into reality. and kind of caught himself, that he was creating this huge scene. he was seething, finger in my face and just called me a baby. he kicked me out and said, you're done. that's it. and i literally went back to denver with the clothes on my back. >> it was over. bowman tried to pick up the pieces of her life. she restarted her career with roles in several films. >> oh, i am checking it out. >> she tried to put bill cosby out of her mind for the next 20 years. >> i thought i was the only one.

>> that is, until 2005. when another woman took on bill cosby in court and bowman decided to join the fight. >> i said, i will be damned if i will sit in silence anymore. i will do whatever it takes to let people know that that woman is telling the truth. meet the world's newest energy superpower. surprised? in fact, america is now the world's number one

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barbara bowman, determined to succeed in a tough business, tried to put cosby out of her mind. she felt she had to. >> was scared to death and in my world, i didn't think i had anybody else who was listening. >> 20 years would pass, from the time bowman said she was raped until 2005. when she read about another woman accusing bill cosby of sexual assault. >> i really believed i was the only other one. i thought, oh my god, another woman and i became enraged and said, i will be damned if i will sit in silence anymore. i will do whatever it takes to let people know that that woman is telling the truth.

because it happened to me. >> that woman was andrea constand. she was director of operations for the women's basketball program in temple university at philadelphia. she met bill cosby, a temple graduate and a big man on campus. >> we know he was an active alum and that included the women's basketball team. >> diana moskovitz from dead spin said friend of cosby. >> sometimes dinner just the two of them. just thought it was someone who wanted to mentor her. in 2005, constand said that cosby sexually assaulted her at his home in suburban philadelphia the year before. bruce castor was the county

prosecutor at the time. >> the impressions the detectives gave me about andrea was she was clearly telling the truth but that her recollection was fuzzy. >> a fuzzy memory he said is consistent with victims of date rape drugs. >> we actually were building the theory that she had been drugged. >> cosby's lawyer called the accusations utterly preposterous and truly bizarre but cosby agreed to talk to detectives. >> cosby believe felt he was going to be arrested and was frightened. >> in the end, the prosecutor decided there was not enough evidence to bring charges. >> what i think and what i can prove are two different things. >> undeterred, constand played out her accusations for everyone to see. >> she's so important because she was the first woman to come forward and say with her name.

>> she claimed cosby had invited her to his home offering career advice. >> she was thinking about a career change, very nervous about it. wanted his advice on it and talked about how nervous she is and she offers her three gills. said this will help calm you down. >> constand said they were an herbal medication but in court response, cosby said they were one and one half tablets of benadryl. >> and she trusted him. >> she trusted him. he's bill cosby. >> constand claimed that after taking the bills, she was only barely conscious. >> she felt dizzy. she felt weak. there wasn't much she could do. >> unable to walk on her own, constand said that cosby led her to a sofa.

>> takes her to the sofa. he touched her breast, touches her vagina, and eventually digitally penetrates her. >> answering the accusations cosby denied drugging or sexually assaults her. >> he is telling the media this is all made up, the family is in it for money, trying to, you know, extort money from him. >> as part of her civil suit, andrea constand was lining up one witness after another. >> when i finally got in touch with her attorney and said, my name is barbara bowman and it happened to me too. and she told me, you're not the only one. >> far from it. in all, 12 women listed in court documents as jane does had similar accusations, long past the statute of limitations but nonetheless, willing to testify about an alleged pattern of wrongdoing. most of the women wanted to stay anonymous but a few went public. >> he produced two capsules.

>> california attorney tamara green on the today show. >> groping me, handling me, touching me. >> he said it did not happen. >> i didn't deserve that. former model, beth, talked to the philadelphia news. >> he hurt me in the most wicked, horrible way. >> spokesmen for cosby declined to comment and barbara bowman in philadelphia magazine. >> what happened was horrible, painful, and frightening. >> cosby's lawyer called bowman's claims absolutely untrue. but bowman, green, ferrier, and the others would not back down. >> i want people to know that we are real people out here and it is happening. and i am going to let people know. >> let people know by testifying in andrea constand's civil case.

but when we come back, constand versus cosby takes an abrupt turn. >> and it just seems to disappear into the ether, almost.

by 2006, four men publicly -- for women publicly aly accused cosby of drugging and sexually sauling them. andrea constand and her lawsuit against cosby. >> he took me in. >> tamara green, beth ferrier, and barbara bowman. allegations like these would bring down most public figures.

but not bill cosby. >> i wrote my 6,500 on word piece for philadelphia magazine, thinking that with all these women claiming they have stories similar to andrea constand's this thing is going explode. >> but it did not. at least not in 2006. because cosby and constand reached an out of court settlement, terms never made public and when the lawsuit ended, so did the media interest. >> a little media attention, and wouldn't go away. and the mainstream wouldn't touch it. nobody would touch it. >> cosby maintained the image as america's favorite dad. >> you could watch cosby show reruns and never had any idea it happened. >> though cosby remained silent about the allegations, he had plenty to say on other matters. >> your 13-year-old got no business seeing himself as a man

who can drop a seed and walk away. and somehow call himself a man. >> he toured the country urging african-americans to take personal responsibility. >> you were dealing drugs. to each other. you were impregnating our 13, 12, 11-year-old children. to each other. >> he built these controversial lectures as callouts. >> i'm calling you out. and i'm holding you accountable. >> there's a pretty big irony he's lecturing african-american communities about their behavior and what they need to do, and at the same time, if these allegations are true, certainly hiding behind his own behavior. >> for the next eight years, cosby was mostly out of the entertainment spotlight but the

accolades continued. >> bill cosby wouldn't go off into the sunset unless there was something to happen to trigger a change. >> that trigger would be an up and coming comedian named hannibl burris. he called out cosby in a stand-up routine. >> i can talk down about you with a successful sitcom. great, bill cosby. but you rape women, turn the crazy down a couple notches. >> he accuses bill cosby directly of being a racist and -- of being a rapist and that changed everything. >> it changed everything because on that evening, a reporter from philadelphia magazine was in the audience recording this video with his phone. >> great, but you rape women, bill cosby. >> comedian hannibal burris.

>> soon, team cosby also using social media inviting fans to create memes or classic captions from his web site. >> what a huge miscalculation. did they think they were going to combat hannibal burris and people saying nice things with these old photos of bill cosby? >> whether or not it was a tactical move, backfired. people use memes to the rape allegations. barbara bowman sees the irony. >> it took a man to crack a joke on stage in a comedy routine calling bill cosby a rapist for people to go, wow, maybe there's something to this.

>> a month after the burris video, bowman writes a piece for the washington post online. bill cosby raped me. why did it take 30 years for people to believe my story? >> so joining me now, barbara bowman, alleges she was raped by bill cosby. >> bowman tells her story on cnn. >> i have been speaking out publicly and trying to have this story believed and heard since 2004. >> rape allegation. >> now the media are finally picking up the story. >> allegations against bill cosby. >> the smithsonian where bill and his wife, camille, displaying their african art. >> this gives me no pleasure, mr. cosby. >> there have been serious allegations raised about you in recent days. you're shaking your head, no. i'm in the news business. i have to ask the question. do you have any response to those charges? shaking your head, no. >> the associated press also

tries to get a response. >> i have to ask about your name coming up in the news recently regarding this comedian. >> no, we don't answer that. >> cosby berates the reporter for even bringing up the subject. >> and i would appreciate if it was scuttled. if you want to consider yourself to be serious, that it will not appear anywhere. >> it didn't play well, didn't look good for bill cosby. >> under mounting pressure, cosby's camp responds to the renewed allegations. the fact they are being repeated does not make them true. mr. cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment. one thing is clear. reporters who, for years, failed to ask cosby the hard questions, are now paying attention. and this time, the story is not going away.

when we come back -- >> he drugged and raped me. >> more than two dozen women come forward. >> bill cosby appears to think that rape is a joke. you stay up. you listen. you laugh. you worry. you do whatever it takes to take care of your family. and when it's time to plan for your family's future, we're here for you. we're legalzoom, and for over 10 years we've helped families just like yours with wills and living trusts. so when you're ready, start with us. doing the right thing has never been easier. legalzoom. legal help is here. feel like a knot. how can i ease this pain? (man) when i can't go, it's like bricks piling up. i wish i could find some relief. (announcer) ask your doctor about linzess-- a once-daily capsule for adults with ibs with constipation

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♪ i'm able to the do this, because i have very good survival skills. >> for more than a decade barbara bowman has been fighting, telling a story that few people wanted to hear. >> i feel sad for me. >> in the fall of 2014, she pushes, again. this time with a first-person account in the washington post. >> it is not that it is just me. >> and a round of tv interviews. >> victims don't come out. they don't talk. they are ashamed. they are embarrassed. >> every bit of media that i did was directed at victims. i practically pleaded for them to come forward. >> rape allegations of multiple women. >> when i came too, i was naked. >> and then there was an avalanche that women said that cosby sexually assaulted them in the '60s and the '70s and the

'80s and the '90s. >> and then he pushed me against the seat. >> and he was leaning me forward having sex with me. >> and the stories just keep coming. >> and several claim that they were drugged. >> i was feeling more and more groggy. >> including former playboy playmate victoria valentino. >> and he was forcing me to have oral sex and when he was done, he got up and started to walk out. >> it went blank. >> and including former talent secretary kristina ruehli. >> he pulled me toward his penis, and then pulled me ahead. i lifted myself away immediately. >> cosby says that these events are absurd. and he says this is becoming ridiculous, and it is illogical

that so many people would have done nothing, and said nothing, and made no claims to law enforcement if they had felt that they had been assaulted over so many years. as for cosby's comeback, the damage is done. >> we believe the women! >> netflix shelves his comedy special, and abc abandons the plan for a upcoming sitcom, and the tvland stops re-runs of "cosby show." >> and nobody wanted to be associated with a serial rapist. >> and cosby finally breaks his silence, but he says, a guy does not have to answer to innuendo, and people should fact-check, and a guy should haven't to answer with that. people should fact check. people shouldn't have to go

through that the and shouldn't answer to the that. >> i want people to know, i had an encounter with bill cosby. >> he drugged and raped me. >> i couldn't move or say anything. i felt something warm on my legs. >> in the weeks that follow, the number of accusers grows to the more than two dozen. >> i knew that he had drugged me. >> cosby was on top of me, kissing me forcefully. >> i woke up in a bed naked, bruised, and he was laying next to me. >> and bill cosby declined our request for an interview, but some who know him well have spoken out in support. actor ben vereen on "entertainment tonight." >> i love the man and bill, we are praying for you. >> what i saw was fun, and nothing inappropriate. >> and bill cosby's tv wife phylicia rashad on "abc news." >> we are talking about a part

of american culture that formed part of american legacy, and it is difficult for me to watch this legacy be erased as the if it never happened. >> and his real wife of more than 50 years camille cosby released this statement, the man whom i fell in love with and continue to love is the man you know through his work. he is a kind man and generous man and funny man, and wonderful husband and father and friend, and he is the man that you thought that you knew. a different man has been portrayed in the media over the last two months, and it is a portrait of a man i do not know. a portrait that mrs. cosby says is painted by irresponsible media. none of us will ever want to be in the position of attacking a

victim, but the question should be asked, who is the victim? cosby's legacy now hangs in the balance. >> professionally, you can't deny success. you can't deny his career. you can't deny the importance of the the huxtable show, and you have to look at the man bill cosby and look at the fact of everything that he is accused of doing. >> and because of the myriad of everything that he is accused of doing, and the statute of limitations, it is unlikely that he will never face charges, so the show must go on. >> no more cosby. >> and some of the shows have been canceled. but others, he has gotten standing ovations. for barbara bowman, the applause

rings hollow. >> i have to imagine that somewhere in his gut, there is a sinking feeling that it is over. >> in our interview, she shared details of the past 30 years, and she was stoic until the last few minutes of the interview. >> people are listening. my story is told. i'm not lying. and now people know it. and i'm soed sad for all of us. but it validates every one of us to be able to compare our stories, and see the similarities, and knowing in our heart finally did it happen? did it happen? did it really happen? yes, it really happened. and it is over. it is over. ♪

-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com the following is a cnn special report. good evening. i'm anderson cooper. tonight a murder that's gone unsolved for more than half a century. a south texas beauty queen sexually assaulted, killed shortly after going to confession. suspicion turned to the priest but nothing stuck. police, though, they never gave up. so, now, 53 years later, evidence points only to the man who heard irene garza's final confession, the man they still suspect took her life. cnn's gary tuchman has the remarkable story. >> she had beautiful, shiny hair. she had this natural effervescence. >> she had the most musical type voice.