Jerry Sandusky denied bid for new trial on child sex abuse charges

Jerry Sandusky, former Penn State assistant football coach and convicted child abuser, has been denied the right to a new trial as of Wednesday.

In 2012, Sandusky was found guilty of sexually abusing young boys through his charity organization designed to help at-risk youth, The Second Mile. The charges, which included rape and sodomy, landed him a 30-60 year prison sentence.

Throughout the entire scandal, Sandusky has remained adamant that he is innocent and believes he was wrongly convicted. In January of 2013, Sandusky attempted to appeal for another trial and was denied by Judge John M. Cleland.

This time, Sandusky appealed for a new trial or a dismissal of charges, both of which were rejected. He argued that he did not receive proper representation at the 2012 trial and that the prosecutors did not provide enough information about changes in the victims' stories. He also criticized actions taken by his defense at the time.

Judge John Foradora denied the most recent request for a trial on the basis that Sandusky's arguments did not "call into question the overall effectiveness of the defense counsel provided or the legitimacy of the verdict." Following the denial for a new trial, Sandusky's legal team has 30 days to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.

This case has been the biggest scandal in Penn State history, shocking the community and costing the university over $200 million in fines and other costs, as well as casting a dark spot on the school's reputation forever.

In June of 2017, the former president of Penn State, Graham Spanier, and two other administrators were found guilty for endangering the welfare of a child. They were told Sandusky was seen molesting a boy in a locker room shower and failed to report it to law enforcement.

Former head football coach, Joe Paterno, also had his reputation irreversibly damaged in the wake of the scandal. After serving the Penn State community for decades, he was fired in 2011 for allegations that he knew about the abuse happening and did not take sufficient action to stop it. Paterno died two months later of lung cancer.

However, there is one bright spot in this sad case in that it looks like Sandusky's attempts to get out of his prison sentence are not going to succeed anytime soon. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro feels that the prosecution "achieved justice" for the victims of Sandusky and remains confident the convictions will hold.

"Hopefully, today's decision will allow the victims of Mr. Sandusky to live their lives knowing that this serial sexual abuser will remain behind bars," he said.