Is Ennis Cosby's killer someone other than the man on trial for his murder? The defense lawyer for Mikail Markhasev says he'll prove the culprit is really a key prosecution witness.
Eli Zakaria, a 24-year-old convicted robber, was with Markhasev the night that Bill Cosby's son was fatally shot. He told police Markhasev did it.Deputy Public Defender Henry Hall said Zakaria was arrested along with Markhasev and was held on the same charges - until he agreed to testify for prosecutors.
"He was released only after he made incriminating statements about (Markhasev)," Hall said at a hearing Thursday. "We have someone who is more than an innocent bystander."
He suggested Zakaria was the one with a motive to kill the 27-year-old Cosby and is, at the very least, an accessory after the fact. The jury was not at the hearing.
Prosecutor Anne Ingalls said the defense has not revealed any evidence that might implicate Zakaria. She conceded that Zakaria "might have committed the crime if the timing was different."