Jerry Sandusky’s attorney said he will ask for the former Penn State assistant football coach’s case to be dismissed if the Commonwealth does not provide more specific information relating to charges.
Senior Judge John Cleland listened to arguments on Monday from Defense Attorney Joe Amendola and Senior Deputy Attorney General Joseph McGettigan to determine if the Office of the Attorney General will be required to give Sandusky’s defense team more information about the case. Cleland did not issue an immediate ruling after the hearing.
The hearing was scheduled after the Commonwealth did not supply sufficient details in the Bill of Particulars it provided to Sandusky’s defense team, according to an order filed by Cleland.
Amendola submitted a motion requesting more information about the times, dates and locations of each alleged offense. He is also asking for the identities of anyone who was in close proximity when the offenses allegedly occurred.
During the hearing, Amendola said that he can remember many details from his childhood, including his first Philadelphia Phillies baseball game and first day of high school, so the Commonwealth should be able to provide additional information to the defense.
According to the grand jury presentment, Sandusky sexually abused children at various Penn State football games. Amendola said attending a Penn State football game is a memorable experience, so the men who claim Sandusky abused them should be able to identify information, such as the team Penn State played against.
McGettigan countered Amendola’s argument and said it is not the football games that the alleged victims forget — “it’s the victimization that they suppressed.”
Amendola said he is not asking the Commonwealth for the exact locations, dates or times the alleged abuse occurred, but he does need more information to prepare Sandusky’s defense.
In a press conference outside the courthouse, Amendola said Sandusky should be able to check his records against the Commonwealth’s allegations to make sure he was in attendance at the football games where some of the men claim that the sexual abuse occurred.
Amendola said not providing information to the defense team is fundamentally unfair to Sandusky’s right to due process.