Sandusky Appeals

[Content Note: Sexual violence.]

Former Penn State football prince Jerry Sandusky, who was sentenced in October "to not less than 30 years and no more than 60 years in prison with credit for time served" for the sexual abuse of 10 boys, is appealing his conviction.

Sandusky's lawyers argue that there was insufficient evidence to convict him, and that the court didn't allow them enough time to prepare for trial, after the prosecution flooded them with documentation.

They also maintain that certain counts were too broad and general and should therefore have been dismissed. The lack of specifics further prevented Sandusky from preparing an adequate defense, they have said.

...This first attempt to overturn the conviction based on ineffective counsel, a common appeals tactic, will be tough, his lawyers have said, but if the court rejects it, they can launch new appeals based on different aspects of the law.

"If you win on one of the appeal issues, everything probably falls," defense attorney Joe Amendola has said. "All we have to do is convince an appellate court that one of the issues we will raise is worthy of a reversal."

As you may recall, Amendola is the comedian who called the trial a soap opera, and, when asked which one, replied, "All My children." What a neat guy he is.

Everyone, even and especially those charged with heinous crimes, deserve a vigorous defense. But Jerry Sandusky was not railroaded. He was defended in court by expert defense attorneys, and he had plenty of unofficial defenders in the public square. His victims testified, and submitted themselves to defense questioning. He faced up to 400 years in prison, and got a gift of a sentence.

It's time to leave it alone.

But Sandusky won't leave it alone. He has never been concerned about his victims' safety or peace, and he isn't about to start now.