Jerry Sandusky's appeal rejected by Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was convicted of 45 cases of sexual abuse. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied an appeal to review the child molestation conviction of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.
Sandusky's appeal centered on his contention that his lawyers were rushed to trial in 2012 and that prosecutors used his decision not to testify to prejudice the jury.
The request to review Sandusky's 45-count conviction also argued the trial judge should have issued a jury instruction about how long it took his victims to report the abuse and that jurors should not have been told to consider evidence of his good character against other evidence.
The Supreme Court's order follows the state attorney general's contention that Sandusky did not provide sufficient basis for the appeal, and that decisions made by the trial judge did not violate his rights.
Sandusky, 70, is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence for sexual abuse of 10 boys. The scandal brought on the firing of Penn State's legendary coach Joe Paterno, NCAA sanctions against the university's football program and a $60 million fine.
