Sandusky Appeals Child Sex Abuse Convictions
Jerry Sandusky has appealed his 45 child sex abuse convictions.
According to Joe Amendola and Karl Rominger, the ex-Penn State football assistant coach’s attorneys, the statute of limitations on run out on the abuse allegations. Sandusky’s attorneys want a new trial and the convictions to be overturned, according to Reuters.
Sandusky’s attorneys filed the appeal at Centre County Court, the same Bellefonte, Pa., courthouse where Sandusky was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison -- effectively life -- earlier this month.
According to Sandusky’s attorneys, "The defendant submits the court's sentence was excessive and tantamount ... to a life sentence, which the defendant submits is in violation of his rights," reports The Associated Press.
According to the appeal, Sandusky’s attorneys did not have enough time to prepare and go through all the evidence that was going to be presented at the trial due to the expedited nature of the case. Sandusky’s attorneys assert that the timespan of the entire case, from charges being filed to being sentenced, happened so quickly that it violated due process of the law.
Also in the appeal, Sandusky’s lawyers claim they did not have time to interview witnesses nor present their own expert testimony. In the appeal, Sandusky’s lawyers also claim that the statute of limitations for eight of the child sex abuse claims had expired.
The Associated Press also notes that Sandusky’s lawyers also had concerns about Judge John Cleland, who presided over the trial. In the appeal, they claim the judge “ruled improperly concerning the use of a computer-generated drawing of an accuser and issued incorrect jury instructions,” according to the AP.
Sandusky’s lawyers also raised concerns about the charges themselves. The actual charges, they assert, were not clear enough nor was there enough actual evidence to lead to a conviction.
The appeal is currently under review. You can read the 31-page appeal here.
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