The seven months between Jerry Sandusky’s arrest in November 2011 to his conviction on child sexual abuse charges on June 2012 will be the focus of Monday’s appeal hearing in Bellefonte.
Sandusky’s new attorney will try to prove that the case was rushed to trial and that the previous defense team did not have adequate time to prepare.
Defense attorney Alexander Lindsay will lay out those alleged errors and missteps. He is expected to ask Judge John Cleland to issue a fresh hearing where he could call witnesses to the stand to prove that Sandusky did not receive a fair trial.
In October, Sandusky returned to Bellefonte for the first time since his conviction. During that hearing his new legal team accused the court of prejudice because three former Penn State Administrators, awaiting trial on alleged cover-up charges, were not available to testify.
Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, and Gary Schultz are still have yet to stand trial.
Sandusky, now 72, has maintained his innocence and he has nothing to lose on the appeal. WTAJ legal analyst, Tony DeBoef, called the hearing a standard post-conviction procedure.
Last Fall, the State Attorney General’s Office called Sandusky’s appeal baseless.
Monday’s hearing is expected to get underway at 11 a.m.