Jerry Sandusky Won’t Get A New Trial, Judge Says

Jerry Sandusky isn’t getting a new trial, according to Judge John Cleland’s statement on Wednesday.

Cleland rejected all post-trial petitions that were filed by Sandusky and his attorneys. Sandusky’s attorneys claimed that they didn’t have adequate time to prepare their case.

CNN reports that the judge issued a 27-page petition, saying that the proceeding was “simply not a case where trial counsel’s inability to review before trial all of the discovery material produced can be said to have resulted in a ‘structural defect’ that made the lack of a fair trial a virtual certainly.”

While Defense attorney Joe Amendola initially testified that he was unprepared for the trial, he conceded that he didn’t see anything he could have done differently after he reviewed the documents post-trial.

Jerry Sandusky is currently serving a sentence of at least 30 years for sexually abusing 10 boys during his time as assistant coach at Penn State. Fox News notes that Sandusky has continued to maintain his innocence in the case, despite being found guilty on 45 counts of child sexual abuse.

Norris Gelman, another lawyer for Sandusky, stated that the decision by Cleland, who presided over Sandusky’s trial, means that the defense wil lappeal to mid-level Superior Court. The appeal must be turned in within the next 30 days.

Following the trial, the NCAA issued Penn State fines and sanctions. Pennsylvania’s governor has since filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, claiming that Sandusky’s actions were a criminal matter. Because of this, they were not a violation of the collegiate athletic board’s rules.

Do you think Jerry Sandusky deserves a new trial?