Thursday, May 22, 2025, 10:27AM |  53°
MENU
Advertisement

Pa. judge: No new trial for Sandusky

Pa. judge: No new trial for Sandusky

Jerry Sandusky lost a bid for a new trial Wednesday when a judge rejected his argument that his lawyers were not given enough time to prepare for the three-week proceeding that ended with a 45-count guilty verdict.

Judge John Cleland's 27-page order said lawyers for the former Penn State University assistant football coach conceded that their post-trial review turned up no material that would have changed their trial strategy.

"I do not think it can be said that either of the defendant's trial counsel failed to test the prosecution's case in a meaningful manner," Judge Cleland wrote.

Advertisement

"The defendant's attorneys subjected the commonwealth's witnesses to meaningful and effective cross-examination, presented evidence for the defense and presented both a comprehensive opening statement and a clearly developed closing argument."

He also rejected post-sentencing motions regarding jury instructions, hearsay testimony and a comment by the prosecution during closing arguments that referred to the fact that Sandusky, who did not testify at trial, gave media interviews after he was arrested in November 2011.

Judge Cleland said the prosecution's closing was not presented in a way that "was either calculated to, or did, create in the jurors a fixed bias toward the defendant."

Sandusky also argued that charges should have been thrown out because they were not sufficiently specific, but Judge Cleland said the lack of specific dates did not prevent Sandusky from pursuing an alibi defense.

Advertisement

Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year state prison sentence for sexual abuse of 10 boys, including violent attacks on the children inside Penn State athletics facilities.

Sandusky defense lawyer Norris Gelman said Wednesday that while he had not read the decision, Judge Cleland's ruling means an appeal will be filed to the mid-level Superior Court within the next 30 days.

The state attorney general's office, which prosecuted Sandusky, offered no immediate comment.

First Published: January 31, 2013, 5:00 a.m.

RELATED
Comments Disabled For This Story
Partners
Advertisement
View of the Grove Entrance at the Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, in Beaver, Pa. (Ariana Shchuka/Post-Gazette) #buildingmug
1
news
Two Pittsburgh-area nursing homes ordered to pay more than $15 million for health care fraud
Just four years after key neighborhoods powered Mayor Ed Gainey's upset victory, some of those same areas swung their support to his challenger, Allegheny County Controller Corey O'Connor.
2
news
Looking at the maps: Voting breakdown shows Gainey's defeat primary marked by deep divides
An exterior view of the Pittsburgh Public Schools administration building as seen Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022, in Oakland.
3
news
Pittsburgh Public recommending 12 school closures under newly revised plan
Pittsburgh’s incumbent mayor, Ed Gainey takes the stage to concede after the Pittsburgh Democratic Primary after losing to Alleghney County Controller Corey O’Connor at the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers on the South Side, Tuesday, May 20, 2025. “It ain’t over, it’s called of a continuation.” During his concession speech, Mayor Ed Gainey called his administration up to the stage and thanked them.
4
news
Progressives have been on a hot streak in Pittsburgh. Gainey's loss could be a 'cautionary tale,' experts say
A fan holds a sign referencing high school recruit Arch Manning before the game between the Clemson Tigers and the Florida State Seminoles at Clemson Memorial Stadium on October 30, 2021 in Clemson, South Carolina.
5
sports
Brian Batko’s Steelers mailbag: How realistic is a lost season in 2025?
Advertisement
LATEST news
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story