Cosby rape survivor shares her story and the powerful message she has for all women

AUSTIN, Texas — Survivors, investigators, prosecutors, defense attorneys, advocates and hundreds of others gathered for CrimeCon over the weekend in Austin.

I’ll admit – I knew very little about the annual event, which began in 2017, but was invited to present this year about DeOrr Kunz, the Idaho Falls 2-year-old who disappeared on a camping trip in Lemhi County.

The convention was a fascinating deep-dive into everything true crime, and participants heard from so many people tied to major cases, such as the following:

• Beth Holloway gave a moving presentation about her daughter, Natalee, who disappeared in 2005 while on a high school graduation trip to Aruba.
• Gina DeJesus, who was kidnapped and held against her will by Ariel Castro for nine years, shared her heroic story about not being a victim but a survivor.
• Kim Goldman’s presentation was titled “Confronting OJ Simpson.” Her brother, Ron Goldman, and Nicole Brown Simpson were murdered 27 years ago. OJ Simpson was charged with the crime and later acquitted.
• Anne Bremner and Evan Bariault, trial attorneys representing Susan Powell’s family, discussed Susan’s disappearance, the deaths of her two sons and the case against Josh Powell.

Dr. Phil, Nancy Grace, podcasters and other presenters filled the three-day event, which was scaled down this year due to COVID-19.

I met with several of the speakers and will be sharing behind-the-scene interviews this week on EastIdahoNews.com.

Tamara Green is the first person I’d like you to meet. She was one of the first women raped by Bill Cosby in the 1970s when she was around 20-years-old living in Hollywood. She worked in the entertainment industry, and Cosby asked her to help him raise money to open a private club.

During our interview, Green described feeling sick one day and calling Cosby to say she could not make it in to work. He persuaded her to come to the restaurant and gave her over-the-counter cold medication. But the pills made her feel worse so Cosby offered to take her home. That’s where she says he raped her.

Green came forward in 2005 and is one of more than 62 women who has accused Cosby of sexually assaulting them. Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison and designated a sexually violent predator on Sept. 25, 2018.

Watch our entire interview with Green in the video player above and hear her emotional message for all women who could become victims of sexual assault.

You can find out more information about CrimeCon here and catch these upcoming interviews all week:

• Tuesday: Dr. Phil McGraw
• Wednesday: Meaghan Good of “The Charley Project” – the largest online cold case database
• Thursday: Chris Hansen of “Predators I’ve Caught” and “Have a Seat with Chris Hansen”
• Friday: Nancy Grace
• Saturday: CrimeCon founder Kevin Balfe
• Sunday: Jim Rathmann – Lead investigator of Investigation Discovery’s “Joe Exotic: Tigers, Lies & Cover-up”