DA in Jerry Sandusky sex abuse case wants jurors brought in from outside of the area

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

Former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, left, walks with his attorney Joe Amendola, right, as he leaves the Centre County Courthouse after waiving a preliminary hearing Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011 in Bellefonte, Pa.

Jerry Sandusky, left, walks with his attorney Joe Amendola, right, as he leaves the Centre County Courthouse in December

(Credit: AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

(CBS/AP) HARRISBURG, Pa. - Prosecutors in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case asked the court Tuesday to have jurors brought in from another county. This was one day after court records revealed they plan to tell Sandusky the names of his 10 accusers.

Pictures: Who's who in the Penn State abuse scandal

Sandusky, 68, the former assistant football coach for Penn State, is facing more than 50 child sex charges.

"The unblinking eye of the press has been focused on a case which is without analogue or peer in the history of this commonwealth," wrote Senior Deputy Attorney General Joseph McGettigan. "Prospective jurors would face a Gordian knot of conscious and even subconscious conflicts and difficulties."

But Sandusky's attorney's said he will fight the proposal.

"Jerry's case has drawn national attention as a result of which we feel there's no better place than Centre County from which to select fair minded individuals to sit as jurors," Joe Amendola said in a statement emailed to reporters.

But McGettigan argued it would not be fair to ask people who live near Penn State to "insulate themselves" from the school.

Sandusky's defense has requested a "bill of particulars," a document from prosecutors that would include names of all the alleged victims, as well as dates and locations of the specific charges made against him. But the attorney general's office countered that the grand jury report, charging documents and discovery materials sufficiently illustrate the facts of the case.

Judge John M. Cleland has scheduled a Feb. 10 hearing to resolve the dispute and to determine whether to modify Sandusky's bail conditions. Meanwhile, Sandusky has requested permission to see and communicate with his 11 grandchildren.

Complete coverage of the Penn State sex abuse scandal on Crimesider

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by LarryParadise February 2, 2012 5:10 AM EST: Never a need to read the sick on goings of such a sick man ...

Just let us know how many years he gets when it's over ....

Until then, keep this sick stuff out of US news please ...; Reply to this comment

by lasvegasteacher February 2, 2012 4:43 AM EST

I think I understand why the defense wants jurors from that area. It was this blanket of denial in that region that allowed the molestations to continue. That blanket of denial still exsists. Denial is bias. The jury needs to be without bias.

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by crimenerd81 February 2, 2012 8:58 PM EST: Agreed. That is a very insulated area. Loyalty to an area and it's legends can sometimes cloud people's judgement. Even in the face of evidence, sometimes people cannot believe that someone they've come to respect can do something so horrible.


by vissionquest February 1, 2012 9:47 PM EST: Lawyers will say anything, make up lies, and slander anybody to win a case regardless of the truth. If lawyers could be sued for spreading falsehoods the legal system would be fairer.; Reply to this comment